


Clarke Kom Azgeda

by FMLClexa



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clarke and Lexa are dorks after they stop hating each other, Clarke is sent to earth alone at first, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I might add tags as it goes, M/M, Slow ass burn, assassin!clarke, grounder!clarke, its more plot centric then it is ship centric, no really its a slooooooooow burn, though this is a clexa fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:51:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 77,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8560705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FMLClexa/pseuds/FMLClexa
Summary: Jake Griffin finds out that the Ark has less that two years of oxygen left until the Ark runs out.  He plans to go public with the information along with his daughter but the council finds out and he's floated and Clarke is locked up.  Five months later, Clarke is sent to earth alone to see if it is survivable.  Instead of landing on Mount Weather like originally planned, she lands in Azgeda territory and is taken by Nia.  Nia tortures her until she swears fealty and after a while Clarke is taken as Nia's Seken and trained to be an assassin.  One year and six months after being sent to the ground, Nia sends Clarke to Polis to kill The Commander.  Can she do it?OrClarke is a badass bitch who doesn't have to get dragged down by the dumb asses of season one and becomes an assassin.  Whoops she falls in love with her target.Also, all OC names are based off names from skyrim because The 100's ability to name it's background characters is despicable.WE'RE BACK!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is what I've been stress writing for the past six hours instead of working on my other fic Unity Day. I'll probably be taking a break from that fic because I haven't felt inspired to work on it like I have this. I hope you enjoy! Read up!

The cold Azgeda air bit at Clarke’s cheeks and stung her lungs as she ran around the outer walls of the kingdom.  The pain was welcome though, it was familiar.  She jumped the large icy rock that was on her usual path.  Finally, she turned around the curve of one of the main entrance’s watch towers and stops in front of the large gate.  She allowed a small swells of pride to raise in her chest.  The impregnable fortress was her home.  Just because she hated Nia doesn’t mean she has to hate her people.  She glanced up at the tower and flicked her hand in the guard’s direction.  The man in the tower nodded and shouted at the guard in the other tower and they began opening the gates.  She strode forward and made her way towards the palace.  

Her head shot up when she heard the distressed voice of a woman and her hand instantly shot to one of the daggers on her wrist.  She relaxed slightly when she realized that it was simply a thief.

“Hod op!  Thef!”  Clarke watched as a woman sprinted after someone wearing a hooded cloak and sprinting away.  She sighed and twirled the dagger in between her fingers before whipping it at the running man’s calf.  The thief fell with a cry of pain and the assassin hummed in contentment.  Without emotion, she yanked her knife out of the fallen form’s leg, wiped it off on her sleeve and slipped it back inside her wrist sheath.  

“Why would you steal?  You know the the price you’ll pay for this.”  She sighed and grabbed the downed form before pulling him up by his hood.  The older man had his warrior’s scars.  He was either discharged or had defected from the army.

“Please!  They’ll take take my hands!  Have mercy!”  He begged,

He was shaking his head viciously as the woman who’d been chasing him came forwards hesitantly.

“Mochof, Wanheda.”  She murmured hesitantly.  Clarke nodded in response and signalled a guard to come take the man who was begging for mercy.  She kept her emotionless mask in place, long used to ignoring the suffering of those who didn’t often deserve it.  She closed her eyes and let herself feel slight remorse for the man.  When she opened her eyes and she turned on her heel and began to walk towards Nia’s palace once again.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke dragged the white war paint in a line from the bottom of her lips to her neck.  She dipped three fingers back into the tin of war paint and placed them just below her hairline.  She dragged them down her face, over her right eye, her fingers raised over her jagged warriors scars.  Once at her cheekbone she dropped her fingers into the cold wash basin and rinsed the paint off of them.  She heard a knock on the door and she turned towards her weapons rack.

“Min yu op,” The blonde called out as she began putting her daggers and throwing knives back in their respective sheaths, one on the inside of each wrist, one on her left forearm, many along her torso and back and even more along her legs.  She heard the heavy spruce door swing open and turned.  She had to hold back the scowl that nearly appeared on her face when she saw Viator stood in the doorway, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“Hei, Viator”  He nodded in greeting at her, “What is it?”  She questioned. 

“It is time Clarke.  The queen has your assignment.”  She tensed but nodded, 

“Very well,”  She felt excitement as well as nerves run through her body,  Nia had said she’d have an important target next.  Previously she might have felt sick that she was excited for killing but she’d grown to accept it.  She knew she was an emotionless monster now; no better than a tool to the queen who had taken her freedom and doomed her to a life of killing.

“Follow me.”  She nodded before grabbing her bow and quiver, slinging them both over her shoulder. She followed him through the cold stone halls of the palace.  The torches on the walls did nothing to warm up the cold that seemed to seep to her bones she was used to.  One glance at a door she knew led to the dungeons nearly made her whimper.  She didn’t of course.  She had long ago taught herself to school her emotions.  Especially those that would make her seem weak.  After all, she was Nia’s Seken.  She was Azgeda’s most ruthless assassin.  She didn’t have kill marks because her back wasn’t big enough.  She was Wanheda.  She couldn’t risk feeling something as human as fear.  So she kept walking behind the guard.  Her steel toed boots making no noise, sharply contrasting Viator’s heavy steps.  Finally he opened the door that lead to the side of the throne room.  She walked through, all doubt and unease bleeding from her when Nia’s eyes locked onto her.  When she stopped in front of Nia’s throne made of bones she dropped to one knee and let her head fall.

“Ai Kwin,”  She muttered, she hated bowing to the woman.  Hell, she hated the woman.  She’d never see anyone she loved again because of her.  It’d been 1 year, 2 months and 4 days since the Ark had sent her to the ground.  If she closed her eyes she could still feel her mother’s arms around her telling her she was going to the ground.  Still feel the fear that coursed through her as she was held by the woman who had raised her.

  
  


_ “Mom? Mom what’s going on!”  She heard the guard speaking behind her but ignored him, “Oh God they’re executing me aren’t they?  They’re going to execute us all to make more time for you all to survive, are they!”  She half whispered in horror, _

_ “Clarke, you are not being executed. You’re being sent to the ground.  You’re our only hope.”  Her mother whispered into her ear, stroking her hair. _

_ “What? No! It’s not survivable!  Why now?  We still have another year and a half of air!”  Her mother shook her head, _

_ “I don’t know Clarke, I’m sorry it isn’t up to me.”  Clarke felt tears well up in her eyes, _

_ “Mom I’m scar- Oh”  She let a pained gasp leave her lips as she felt something stick into her back.  She felt her consciousness begin to fade and just before sleep claimed her she heard her mother’s words. _

_ “Earth, Clarke.  You get to go to Earth.” _

  
  


She heard someone snapped her name and quickly brought herself back to reality.  

“Klark!”  Nia’s voice made her head shoot up, “I said  _ rise _ .”  She snarled, jolting Clarke to rise to her feet quickly,

“Moba, my Queen.”  The older woman simply nodded before leaning back in her chair lazily.

“Viator tells me you have my assignment?”  It was only half a question, somewhat a statement.  The Queen let out a hum of acknowledgement before gesturing for her closest guard to come close.  She leant over and whispered into his ear.  He nodded sharply, 

“Sha, Ai Kwin.”  He replied to whatever she said before gesturing to his fellow to follow him.  Clarke watched as the two guards left the room, leaving it empty except for her and the Queen.  The older woman leant forwards, a predatory smirk on her face.  

“Before I tell you your target, I must warn you.  If you tell a soul who I have sent you to kill, I will cut your tongue from your mouth and have you hung from the city walls without cover until you freeze for your treason.”  She said it all in a bored voice, as if she hadn’t just threatened to kill the blonde in front of her.  Nevertheless, she nodded,

“Of course, my Queen, I would never betray your trust or you.”  The words tasted bitter in her mouth even as she said them.  Nia seemed pleased though,

“Good.  Then there’s no point drawing this out.”  She pulled out a small scroll from a pocket on the inside of her armour and handed it to Clarke,  “That is all the information you shall need to take your target out.”  Clarke frowned and put the scroll inside her cloak,

“Your majesty you still have not told me who it is you wish for me to kill.”  The Queen nodded and let out a chuckle in response to that.

“Your target is Heda Lexa, The great Commander.”  She said the title sarcastically but Clarke was too busy trying to focus on her breathing.  She had almost choked on her own breath when Nia had said her name.  

“Ai Kwin, I do not mean to question your judgement, but The Commander?  If I am caught it would mean a war between Azgeda and the entire Coalition!”  She couldn’t help her voice reaching a few octaves higher than usual with panic.  If Nia got killed in the war she would not grieve, but far too many innocents would be slaughtered.  

Nia’s expression flickered into one of rage.  She was on her feet instantly, striking Clarke across the face.  Clarke flinched and stumbled back a step but did nothing more than clench her fist.  Anything else would be a death sentence.

“It is not you place to give me counseling.  It is your place to obey.  Besides, if you are caught it does not matter what happens between Azgeda and the Coalition because you will be dead.  Either at the Commander’s hand or mine.”  She snapped.  Clarke nodded, she felt the sting of Nia’s hand, marking her cheek as clearly as Azgeda’s clan marking marked their flags.  Regardless, Clarke nodded and dropped to her knee once again,

“Of course, Ai Kwin, Wigod Ai.  Beja.”  She muttered, keeping her eyes trained on the floor.  She heard Nia scoff and sit back down.

“Stand up, Seken.”  Clarke did as she was told and raised to her feet.  She looked at the older blonde and Nia seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding.  “Jelin!”  She called out.  Clarke flinched at the name.  

Jelin was Nia’s torturer.  Never more than one shout away.  He walked into the room quickly.  The muscled man was practically drenched in blood.  Most likely the blood of the thief she’d caught in the town earlier.  

“Jelin, give Klark five lashes for disobedience.”  She grit her teeth but didn’t protest.  It could have been much worse.  Nia looked at the assassin expectantly and Clarke pulled off her armored tunic and her shirt, leaving her alone in her chest bindings.

The torturer nodded at her and tilted his head in the direction of the post to the side of Nia’s throne room.  Taking a shaky breath she made her way over to it and wrapped her arms around it.  He pulled the whip from his belt and Clarke tensed as she heard it snap in the air.  When it finally hit her back she didn’t cry out.  It hurt, hell it always did.  But she knew better than to scream.  She’d learned her lesson long ago.  

When the final strike landed she had just began to feel blood trickling down from her back where one of his more vicious strikes had hit her.  With that she rose on shaky legs and grabbed her black shirt and light armoured tunic and pulled them on.  Fastening the straps of her armour.  She’d have to stop by Ralof, -the city’s healer’s- house on the way out of the city.  She clenched her hands hard, the feeling of her nails biting into her palm grounding her and distracting her from the pain on her back.

“Is that all, my Queen?”  She asked,

“Yes, you are dismissed, Klark.”  She said before adding, almost as an afterthought, “If you see Ontari on your way out, send her to me.”  Clarke nodded and turned towards the door she had entered the room from and made her way back towards her room.  She opened the heavy door of her room and walked in.  Before she grabbed her traveling cloak she checked that her daggers all had their poison on them.  It was one of Azgeda’s best tools.  The poison was made by a small caterpillar that was only around in high summer and found only in Azgeda.  The other clans had yet to find a cure for it.  Clarke, doubted they even knew of it’s existence.  

Once satisfied that they were all properly doused in the venom she pulled the coat-like cloak on and strode out the door.  The flaps of her cloak billowing behind her legs.  She entered the throne room and glanced at the Queen.  Barely holding back the reflex to flinch when she saw a villager kneeling in front of Nia, a guard holding the man’s tongue and a knife up to the tongue.  Clearly about to cut it out.  Most likely for arguing against one of Nia’s corrupt policies.  She repressed a shudder and carried on to the village.  She wouldn’t have time to see Ralof.  It was eight day journey to Polis on horse if she only stopped to let the horse rest.  Plus, she needed to read the information on the scroll and she couldn’t exactly do that in the city.  Heda’s spies were everywhere.  She thought in disgust of the “great” Commander.  The cruel woman who had allowed the Plain Riders to attack their South-Western border for months on end.  Clarke may not have liked Azgeda’s rulers, but these were her people.  After all, Clarke had defended those borders for four months before Nia had taken her on as a Seken to train her as an assassin.  

As she walked through the capital she felt watched villagers shrink away from her.  If only they had the same experiences with her that the villagers in the outer villages had had.  They’d know that she’s also an experience healer who helps out all she can.  They’d know that though she brings death, she heals with every village she goes to.  

Finally, she reached the stables and nodded at the stable girl, Maeva, with a smile.  The child couldn’t have been more than nine and had yet to begin developing the muscles that warriors had.  Therefore she most likely didn’t have a Fos.  She might ask Nia to allow her to take a Seken when she returns from her task of assassinating Heda.  No, not when.   _ If _ .  

She shook off the dark thoughts, she wasn’t Azgeda’s best assassin for nothing.  She just had to think of this as any regular assassination.  

“Maeva, fetch Jorundr.”  She said to the small brunette girl who in turn nodded vigorously.

“Of course, Wanheda!”  She turned and scurried into the stable’s to get the blonde’s horse.  She hated moments like these.  Moments where she could simply stand, wait and  _ think _ .  She tried to busy herself as much as possible because if she truly let herself stand still and think about what she was doing, where she was in her life, she’d break.  But she wouldn’t let that happen.  She walked into the stables, deciding to help Maeva prep her horse.  

When she walked in she nearly let out a chuckle at the sight of the small girl trying to calm the ever excitable horse down.  The brunette looked at Clarke with an apologetic expression,

“I’m sorry, Clarke, he won’t calm down.”  She muttered as Clarke made her way over to the girl and her horse.

“And the sun rises in the East,”  She said in an amused voice, rolling her eyes as she did so.  The assassin raised her hand and stroked the horse’s muzzle and it’s frantic movements and noises slowly calmed to a stop.  She smiled and unhooked the latch the kept the horse’s pen’s gate closed, allowing the magnificent stallion out.  As it trotted out, she ran her fingers through it’s mane and swung her leg up over the saddle.  Once she was fully settled she smiled at the girl who was now several feet below her.  

“Stay safe, Yongon.”  She said with a rare smile.  The girl nodded vigorously once again and Clarke nodded once more before tapping her heels into the horse’s sides, making it take off at a trot.  She continued at that pace until she reached the city limits and then broke into a gallop.  She would have a long journey ahead of her.  

 

__________

  
  


She sat in the lean-to shelter she’d made, eating rabbit she’d hunted and cooked on the roaring fire in front of her.  She was proud of how quickly she got it done, after all she hadn’t been out of the capital in more than a month and hadn’t had the opportunity to camp out like this for a long while.  Especially not alone. 

Glancing up at the dark sky, she saw the moon’s light lighting up the snowy ground.  The area where she was camped out wasn’t too exposed, but there was still a decent amount of clear ground in the clearing she’d stopped in.  Her horse was tied to a tree a few feet away.  Deciding she was prepared for sleep she stood and grabbed a handful of oats.  As she walked over to Jorundr it let out a huff of air and Clarke smiled softly, putting her hand in front of the horse’s mouth.  It ate the oats quickly and the blonde was content that she had properly fed it when the horse settle itself on the ground and closed it’s eyes.  

She lay down under the shelter on the bedroll that she’d taken from her horse’s saddle and pulled her cloak tighter around herself.  Azgeda night were not forgiving.  Especially not so late in autumn.  Slowly, she drifted off to the sounds of the crackling fire.  

 

__________

  
  


She trotted up to the open doors of Polis and couldn’t help but be astounded by two things.  Though they were different parts of her that were astounded.

Her tactically trained mind couldn’t believe they simply left their gates open.  Sure, they had guards on the walls on either side of the gate and on the ground but Azgeda had their doors closed at all times and only warriors, Ambassadors and trade caravans were allowed to enter and leave.  Even then, the trade caravans often were not allowed in.

The second part of her, the part that Nia had tried -and nearly succeeded- to kill was mesmerized by the sheer size of Polis.  It was huge, she’d had an overhead view on top of the hill about quarter mile off from the gates.  It was clearly bustling with life and it was even louder up close.  

Once she was a few meters away from the door, the two ground guards stopped and moved towards the center, crossing their spears.

“Stop Azgona, dismount from your steed.”  The warrior to her left spoke.  She sighed and swung down from her horse, keeping her hand on it’s reigns.  

“What are your intentions in our city, Azgeda girl?”  Asked the woman to the right.  Clarke bit back a snappy retort and mentally referred to the scroll Nia had given her.

“I am an assassin of Azgeda, sent by Queen Nia to serve Heda.”  She said, reciting what the scroll had told her to say when questioned.  The two guards looked at each other as if Clarke was crazy.

“You expect us to allow an Azgeda assassin sent by the Queen into our city?”  Spat the woman.  Clarke simply raised a brow at her response,

“Polis is open to all members of the Coalition is it not?  As an Azgeda warrior I fall under a member of the Coalition.  Now shall you let me in, or shall I return to my Queen and tell her that I was refused entrance to the city by two warriors so that she may be in contact with Heda and have you both punished?”  She kept her voice just above a whisper the entire time, knowing that tended to have the most unnerving effect one people.  The two exchanged glances before the man nodded stonily.

“Very well, may I ask who you are?  I will send a messenger to Heda informing her of your arrival.”  He said, the man was clearly less confrontative than his partner.

Clarke smiled, thinking for a moment about how she should respond.  Would, Klark kom Azgeda work?  Surely not.  No one knew her as Klark.  They knew Wanheda.  Wanheda she would be.  The smile on her face shifted into an arrogant smirk.

“I am Wanheda.”  The two guards, though both taller than her seemed to shrink a few inches as they inhaled sharply.  

“Very well, Wanheda,”  The man said, his voice much more hesitant now, “Hestla will take your horse to the stables, you may enter Polis.”  Clarke nodded, patting her horse a few more times before straightening her face, clearing all traces of the smirk she previously held away.  

  
“See to it that he is not hurt,”  She said to the woman who had taken the reigns of her horse, “If he is someone else may be hurt.”  The unspoken threat hung in the air.  Clarke didn’t bother waiting to see their reaction and simply walked into the city.  This was certainly going to be her most exciting assassination.    
  
  
___________  
  
  
Translations

 

Hod op = Stop  
Azgona = Azgeda Warrior Mochof = Thank you  
Min yu op = Enter  
Ai kwin = My Queen  
Moba = Apologies  
Wigod ai = Forgive me  
Beja = Please  
Yongon = Child


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa meet. Clarke makes a shocking discovery that may very well change who she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The love I received from last chapter was astounding and I loved it. Thank you guys so much, please enjoy this chapter! Also don't forget, translations are at the bottom.

Lexa leaned on her elbow and let herself block the bickering of the ambassadors out.  Samuel of the Plain Riders Clan, a large, dumb man who thought he could strong arm all the other ambassadors to agree with him, was currently locked in a shouting match with Peragon of the Glowing Forest Clan about trade routes.  Something about the Glowing forest not letting the Plains Rider’s trade caravans pass through Glowing Forest territory to Blue cliff.  They’d been going on about it for hours and she knew she should step in and settle it.  She doesn’t understand how some of the most reasonable clan leaders she know, send ambassadors like  _ these _ .  These men and women who let their ego get in the way of everything.  Who take hours discussing something as simple as the price of a specific type of meat around the clans.

She was roused from her musings when the doors of the throne room burst open, yielding a boy of what must have been no more than fourteen winters.  

“Heda!”  His squeaky voice trembled as he stumbled into the room, instantly, representatives from at least five clans were on their feet, weapons drawn and prepared for battle.  Titus’ voice boomed out,

“Chit don de manay kom dison, Yongon?”  He growled, “This is an ambassador’s meeting and is  _ no  _ place for a child!”  Lexa gestured her hand in Titus’ direction, effectively silencing him.

“Come forward, boy.”  She said, keeping her voice steady.  Lexa could see his throat bob as he swallowed thickly and walked to the steps.  Once he reached the first raise in the floor, he dropped to his knee and bowed his head deeply, “What is your name, goufa?” She questioned,

“I am Stig kom Trikru, Heda.”  He said, his head bowed the entire time.  She nodded and stood.

“Ambassadors, stand down.  Rise, Stig.”  She gestured at the ambassadors who began sitting, clearly embarrassed that they had taken up arms against a boy who clearly had little to no training as a gona.

The young adolescent stood and Lexa cocked a brow at him,

“I imagine you have a message for me, Stig?”  She asked, snapping him out of his somewhat awestruck staring.  He nodded, still looking somewhat mystified.

“Sha, Heda!  Alvring, a gona on duty sent me to inform you that Wanheda has entered Polis!”  He got the message out as quickly as possible and Lexa felt herself tensing.  Her relaxed demeanor shifted and she whirled her head around to face the Azgeda ambassador, her expression one of rage.

“What is the meaning of this, Mitelius?”  She demanded, the greasy blonde man seemed to be quaking in his boots, his face three shades more pale than usual, 

“Heda I do not know!  I was not informed Wanheda would be coming!”  He practically shouted, Lexa was prepared to run him through with her sword personally if she did not get answers soon.

But before she could open her mouth a second time, Stig spoke,

“Heda, I apologise for not saying so immediately but Queen Nia sent her as a gift, a gift to you.”  He rambled, bending his head further down as a sign of submission.  Gustus let out bitter laugh,

“Accepting a gift from Azgeda, especially one as dangerous as Wanheda, would be like drinking poison knowingly.  There is no way Heda would be foolish enough to accept a gift such as an assassin from Az-”

“Azgeda?  Yes I would be skeptical as well.”  Lexa’s eyes snapped away from Gustus to a blonde girl standing at the doors of the throne room.  Once she took a moment to truly look at the girl she saw multiple things that set off red flags.  First and foremost, the Azgeda colours she wore.  The white of Azgeda was present all across her torso, small strips of cloth were wrapped around her arms, tied to her chest and integrated in the heavy cloak she wore, there was also Azgeda war paint on her face.  It looked like a beast had clawed her right eye from where the paint was.  Secondly, she noticed the facial burnings that all Azgeda warriors doned.  Last, she noticed the knife sheathes all over her bodice.  She counted eight easily seen ones and she had no doubt that there were at least a dozen more hidden across her body.  All of them had likely been coated in poison.  

She connected the dots mentally and narrowed her eyes.

“Wanheda,”  The cold tone she spoke with held no question.  The expression she had plastered to her face was one of cold indifference but anyone who knew her well, mind you that wasn’t many people, would be able to see the whirlwind of emotions swirling in her eyes.  

She covered the shock that nearly crossed her face when the assassin dropped to one knee, inclining her head ever so slightly.  It was clear she was not enjoying kneeling.  Though most Azgeda, at least those who held any rank or power would not bow to her unless told to.  Even then, Nia and many of her had blatantly refused when she first ascended.  

“Rise,”  She said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice at the thought of the Queen who had sent this assassin.  The blonde stood, her posture one of complete comfortability.  Either she was good at faking it or she was completely at ease while surrounded mainly by hostile warriors and her Commander.  Lexa desperately wanted it to be the former.  Someone who was so genuinely calm in this kind of situation would be a threat.  

Not that she didn’t already think that this ‘Wanheda’ was a threat.  

“What are your intentions in my city, Wanheda?”  She sat back down as she spoke, playing with her dagger.  As menacing as it looked, it was less of an intimidation tactic and more out of habit.  Though the added menace would be nice.  

“I would have thought the guard’s messenger would have arrived to tell you by now,” She cocked a brow at the Commander before continuing when she received no response, “Queen Nia kom Azgeda has sent me as a gift to be used at your disposal, Heda.  My abilities are at your service.”  Lexa scoffed,

“And what use would I have for an Azgeda assassin?  I have assassins who I know will be loyal to me over anyone else.”  The thinly veiled insult did not make Wanheda bristle as she hoped it would.  She certainly was a strange Azgeda.  Mitelius let out a sort of angered choking sound but she paid him no mind.  The girl standing before her seemed to contemplate for a moment before speaking;

“I am Azgeda’s best assassin and Azgeda has the best assassins.  Does that not make me the best?  Does that not make me superior to all your assassins?”  Lexa went to respond but the assassin carried on, “Heda, I am loyal to you.  Nia may be my Queen, ba yu laik Heda, sha?”  Lexa almost snorted at the words.  The girl was smart, she’d give her that.  If she disagreed and said that Azgeda’s primary loyalty is to their Queen Nia may take offense, spirits know she has spies everywhere and an offended Nia, would be a wild card.  One she could not afford with an assassin like Wanheda in her court.  Lexa let out a small nod,

“Very well, that may well be true but I have no need for an assassin in a time of peace, why should I not send you back to Nia right now?”  She demanded, she didn’t want this girl in her court.  Didn’t want her in her city.  She stood for all things she hated.  Azgeda, Nia, Costia’s death.  She set her jaw at the thought of her former lover and looked at Wanheda expectantly.  The girl seemed to already have a response to the question and Lexa cursed internally.

“You wouldn’t want to offend Queen Nia would you?  She has sent one of her most valuable tools out of good faith.  She has always been resistant when it came to the Coalition, foolishly so-”  

“How dare you speak ill of the Queen who saved you from the cold and made you who you are today Cl-”  The Azgeda Ambassador began,

“Shof op, Mitelius, know your place.”  The blonde snarled, her mask of calm slipping momentarily before turning back to Lexa.  Everyone in the throne room seemed slightly shocked by the assassin’s show of strength over the Ambassador.  Lexa had never seen him look so scolded.  Almost like a hound who was caught eating it’s master’s dinner.  Lexa was almost impressed but her thoughts were cut off when the blonde continued,

“As I was saying, Queen Nia has always been resistant to your rule, Heda.  Perhaps now she is finally seeing sense.  This may well be her way of apologising.”  Lexa had to hold back a scoff, Nia did not apologize.  She certainly did not admit to being wrong.  Not even with a gesture.  Especially not one so grand.  This was surely a ruse.  But it could be what she needed to bar Azgeda from the Coalition.  Now that she knew she’d have the full support of the rest of the 11 armies at her back she could take out the entire Azgeda force.  If Nia sent this assassin to kill her, the other clans would surely demand Nia’s head.  Even if Lexa didn’t.  Finally, she nodded at Wanheda.

“Then I accept your Queen’s gift, Wanheda.”  She raised her hand instantly to silence Gustus and Titus who both immediately opened their mouths to protest, “Tell me, assassin, what is your name?”  The girl’s face hardened in response, the only emotion that had showed so far besides her quick anger at Mitelius.

“Ai don gon Wamplei, Heda.  My name is not of importance, I am Wanheda now.”  She spoke simply, her expression quickly got schooled back into one of indifference.  Not quickly enough though, Lexa had noticed the flicker of past pains in the girl’s eyes and wondered if the girl was simply so good at manipulation that it was all a trick.  Trying to gain the Commander’s sympathy.  

Titus let out a noise of anger, “Do not be insolent, Azgeda.  She asked you your name.  All of the Commander’s requests are commands.”  He said, turning to Lexa as if expecting her to reward him for his outburst.

“I can speak quite well for myself, Fleimkepa.  Wanheda need not reveal her identity.”  She said, her voice exuding command.  Titus shrank away with a nod and the blonde nodded at her in an almost grateful manner. 

“Wanheda, report to one of the guards outside the throne room and they will bring you to your room.  This meeting is adjourned.”  She raised her hand in a show of finality and everyone raised to their feet and all but Gustus and Titus began to stream out.  

Once everyone was out Titus whirled around to face the brunette girl.

“Heda, you can not be serious!  Accepting an assassin into your tower?  An Azgeda assassin no less!  You may as well be handing Nia a dagger and turning your back on her!”  His face began to flush as he practically yelled.  Lexa’s facial expression was one of anger as she stood and stalked over to him, though the man was at least four inches taller he shrank away from her.

“I laik Heda, Titus.  I am more than capable of defending myself from an assassin.  Or did you not train me well enough to defend myself?  Did Anya not successfully train me to win the conclave?  You dare question my judgement?”  He seemed to fall away with every word she spoke until finally he shook his head.

“Of course not, Heda.  I simply worry about you.”  She softened at his words and nodded, “May I ask you, respectfully, why you’re allowing Wanheda into this court, Heda?”  Lexa let out a sigh and relented.

“Sha, Titus, of course.”  She sat back down on her throne, Gustus and Titus standing in front of her.

“I will be verifying that Nia sent her.  If that isn’t the case, she will be executed.  If it is, we watch her.  If Nia truly did send her to kill me, then all we must do is let her attack.  Once she does we can take the Coalition’s army to their borders and attack.”  Gustus nodded at the plan and Lexa was relieved that he didn’t fight her on this.  It was nice that she had him backing her up.  Titus on the other hand was more skeptic.

“Heda, I do not doubt your ability to fight off attackers, but if she were to poison a meal of yours, you can not defend yourself from what you can not see nor feel until it is too late.”  Lexa shook her head in response,

“If she truly does plan on killing me, it will not be subtle.  Anyone can take credit for that.  If it is said an Azgeda killed me then Nia will be able to take advantage of their fear of Azgeda and take the throne.”  Titus finally nodded,

“Very good, Heda, will that be all?”  She nodded and dismissed him before returning her gaze to Gustus, 

“Gustus, I need you to find out all you can on Wanheda,”  He nodded and before he could speak she continued, “I know we already have spies tracking her but all of our information is inconclusive.  None of the information you have gained would be of much help to us.  We do not know where she originates from, how Nia took notice of her or even her name.  I need information and I need it now.  Am I understood?”  He nodded,

“Sha, Heda.”  She nodded, her emotionless mask still firmly in place as he turned on his heel as she presumed he went to talk to their informants.  

She was glad for Gustus, always with her.  Providing her support against the immovable wall of Titus.  Glad that he was there with her.  He was after all, one of the last connections she held to her life before she was known as Heda.

 

__________

  
  
  


Clarke paced in her room and she was certain if she did so any longer she would genuinely begin to walk a hole into the furs below her feet.  The Commander had certainly been, well, different than she’d expected.  To be quite frank, from what she’d heard from Nia, she’d expected a heartless woman with no mercy, no compassion, simply a power hungry shell.  That was certainly not what she’d seen when she looked at the Commander.  The brunette girl couldn’t have been much older than Clarke, perhaps twenty.  Maybe twenty two.  She was surprisingly understanding as well.  When Clarke had asked she keep her name concealed the girl had allowed it, despite the protests of what must have been her two advisors.  

Still, it could easily have been a ruse to make Clarke let her guard down.  That’s why she wouldn’t.  She had no doubt that she’d be sleeping with one eye open for the next few days.  Finally a knock at her door made her stop passing.  She looked at it and palmed a dagger, hiding it along her wrist before calling out, 

“Enter.”  She kept her tone completely cold as she spoke, after all it could be anyone.  Mitelius, a guard or even the Commander herself.  Though that she doubted.  The door opened to reveal a guard.  He was a tall stocky man and had a bear’s skull covering his face as a mask and Clarke had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.  She’d never understood the need most Grounder’s felt to wear masks.  Some said that it helped them cover their emotions and make them look more fearsome.  Clarke on the other hand knew that if you could mask your emotions yourself, you could pull off a far more fearsome expression than one of a dead bear.  

“Heda has requested your presence in the throne room, Wanheda.”  He said, his voice laced with an almost indistinguishable fear.  As if being in the same room as Clarke could get him killed.  She sighed and nodded,

“Thank you…”  She trailed off and raised a brow, nodding her head at him,  

“Kodlak.”  He responded.  With a nod she made her way out of the room,

“Thank you, Kodlak.”  She set off down the hall that led to the Commander’s throne and was not surprised to see Kodlak walking next to her, “I am more than capable of making my way to the throne room, Kodlak.  I will not get lost.”  Though she doubted that’s why he was following.  He shrugged, though he looked regretful,

“Apologies, Wanheda.  I have orders from Heda to accompany you.”  He continued walking as they talked and she tried to keep back a groan.  That’s what her next few weeks would be full off.  Stiff, unfeeling soldiers.  

It’s not like anyone was different in Azgeda but at least there she had some friends.  She knew from experience that making friends while on the job was a recipe for disaster.  

She shoved down the shiver that threatened to break free when she thought of a young woman named Costia, the girl that she’d let herself get close to before taking her back to Nia.  She’d nearly helped the girl escape but Nia had found out and beat her viciously.  Tying her up in the town square in the middle of winter for two straight days.  She’d nearly died.  It was almost as bad as the betrayed expression she’d gotten from the dark skinned girl when she mumbled out an apology as she tied her up.  

Blinking viciously to clear the thoughts away, she realized she was in Heda’s throne room.  The girl sat once again on the throne, the dagger she always seemed to carry in her hands.  She moved forwards and knelt before her,

“Heda,”  She murmured before rising to her feet, the girl nodded in acknowledgement,

“Wanheda,”  She replied, “What is your skill set?”  Clarke nearly laughed in response to the question,

“I would say my work speaks for itself, but I suppose it doesn’t.  After all, I am an assassin.”  She smirked.  Lexa nodded but didn’t looked satisfied,

“That may be the case but you are more of a serial assassin, are you not?  You leave a smear of red on the forehead of each of your victims.”  Clarke clenched her hands at that,

“No, people who attempt to be me leave a smear of red on their victim’s foreheads,”  She said, Lexa raised a brow, urging Clarke on, “When I first started along the path of an assassin, I had an advisor who said I should leave a mark on my victims.  To signify it was I, Wanheda, who had taken them out.  After seven kills, all having the similar red paint across the forehead, I realized I had to stop marking my kills.  After all, assassins are supposed to leave without a trace of them being there.  Sadly, imposters began leaving the mark and I gained the name Wanheda.”  She finished.  Lexa scoffed,

“So you are not truly Wanheda, you simply take credit of work done by others.”  Clarke grit her teeth in response,

“Heda, with all due respect, I have over 215 confirmed kills.”  She nearly growled out, “I have earned my spot in Nia’s rule and I have earned my title.  If you do not believe me, simply stop the messenger you sent to Azgeda to confirm that I was truly a gift from my Queen.”  She snapped, Lexa seemed to blanch for a second before she regained her composure,

“How do you know of the messenger to Azgeda, Wanheda?”  She questioned, leading Clarke to roll her eyes.

“I wouldn’t be a very good assassin if I didn’t keep track of what was going on around me, Commander.”  The brunette nodded, apparently satisfied.

“Very well, it seems your skills are true.  If you are recovered from your journey here from Azgeda, I have job for you.”  She said, standing and moving over to one of the guards.

“I am always prepared, Heda.”  She said, simply.  Lexa nodded and muttered some words to the guard before returning.

“Very good.  There are reports of two Maunon patrolling around Polis walls.  None of my warriors have been able to take out these Mountain scum.  I am sending you and one of my best thinkers out to take them down.”  Clarke paused for a moment, she wanted to see how the Commander would react to having her decisions questioned.  Nia would immediately have her whipped, she needed to know if Lexa would do the same. 

“Commander, I wish not question your decision, but I am not just a weapon.  I am a thinker.  I was raised in an environment where that sort of thing is praised.  I am more than capable of taking out a couple of Maunon on my own.”  Lexa nodded,

“That may be so Wanheda, but my thinker is not just a thinker.  She is also a warrior.  She will be there to assist you in any way possible.”  Clarke sighed and nodded.  

“Sha, Heda.”  The blonde, muttered.  She was probably only being assigned this “Thinker” as a chaperone to make sure she stayed out of trouble.  She was about to ask when this thinker, who was probably a wizened old man would arrive but at that moment the doors, slammed open and Clarke turn on her heel quickly, her hand already reaching for her dagger.  A girl that looked about her and Lexa’s age strode through the doors.  She was Clarke’s height with long brunette hair that had been intricately braided.  The tan girl stopped a few feet from Clarke.  She looked her up and down in an almost appreciative manner before speaking,

“Who’s the hottie, Commander?”  She asked, turning to look at the Commander with a grin.  Clarke had to stop herself from gaping at the girl.  In all her time on the earth, she’d never heard someone talk like that.  That was Ark talk.  

Clarke turned back to the Commander, her fingers still grazing the edge of the hilt of her dagger.  The Commander let out an exasperated sigh.  

“Raven, this is  _ Wanheda _ .”  She used a tone of voice that Clarke might have used to scold a child who had made a mistake in class.

“Wanheda, this is one of my best thinkers, Raven Kom Skaikru.”  Clarke frowned at that, 

“Heda, what is Skaikru?  That is not a clan I know of.”  The girl beside her chuckled,

“Yeah,  it’s more of an honorary title.  Last of my people and all.”  Clarke frowned further.  It’s true, not much news got far enough into Azgeda to get to the capital and all messengers gave their messages to Nia first and foremost to control the information being distributed.  But surely, news of an entire clan rising and falling would be known very well in Azgeda.

“Where does Skaikru originate from?”  She asked, dread was sinking into her.  Her trigedasleng was perfect.  Skai ment sky.  Kru meant people.  Sky People.  

Her entire world seemed to be tipping when Raven spoke,

“The sky of course?  You know, for the ‘Cunning Wanheda’ you don’t seem very smart to me.”  She drawled, Lexa began scolding her but Clarke wasn’t listening.

A lie.  Nia had lied.  She’d said no one else had come down.  No one else had survived and surely the Ark was dead by now or they would have come to earth.  Sent someone.  Anyone. 

But she wasn’t the last one.  One of her people was still alive.  

She clenched her teeth and held her fist so tight that her nails would surely puncture the skin of her palm soon.  

_ Calm down _

She thought savagely to herself.  She’d talk to Raven once they were out of Polis.  She couldn’t afford to get distracted.  She couldn’t afford to let her perfectly built persona slip.  Not now.  Not on such an important mission.  She took in a slightly shaky breath before drawing herself out of her thoughts and listening into Raven and the Commander’s conversation.  

“-recent sightings near Trago’s farm.  Head there and talk to him, he’ll point you in the correct position.”  Raven nodded in response and stepped away from Heda when she saw Clarke watching.  It had been a curious sight.

The Commander standing so close to anyone.  It was clear that this Raven girl meant something to the Commander.  That could be a useful weakness -  could be if she could bring herself to even hurt the last remaining member of her people.  She grappled with the dilemma before deciding this wasn’t the time.  Clarke nodded at Raven,

“So, Raven kom Skaikru, shall we set out before the Maunon do whatever they have set off to do?”  She questioned.  The brunette nodded,

“‘Spose we should.  See you on the flip side Commander.  Keep in touch.”  She said with a wink that left Clarke confused. 

Before Clarke could question it for more than a second though, Raven was striding past Clarke, 

“Come on Assassin, keep up.”    
  
__________

 

Translations  
  
  
Goufa = Child  
Chit don de manay kom dison, Yongon? = What is the meaning of this, boy/child?  
Sha = Yes  
Shof op = Quiet/Silence  
Ai don gon Wamplei = I am become death  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Go yell at me in the comments about how I'm shit or if you enjoyed the chapter! I always reply to comments and I love reading 'em. They really do keep me motivated to write.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Princess Mechanic duo go out in search of the two Maunon said to be prowling the forests around Polis. They share some Clarke and Anya type bonding and Clarke figures out that she isn't the only one trying to kill the Commander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to smg55 for keeping me in check in the reviews. I made some edits to my previous chapters to fix some things though it most likely isn't anything noticeable. Just some translation issues. I also wanted to clear some things up. In this AU, Clarke is dropped to earth six months before the Coalition is formed. Also, for those who want some action with the rest of the delinquents, don't worry. I promise they'll be coming down soon. More Clexa interactions next chapter.

Clarke held a dagger in her hand as she and the brunette made their way through the forests that surrounded Polis in search of the Maunon.  Trago -the man who owned the farm- had given them a map which marked the areas people had reported seeing the two Maunon.  They’d- or rather Raven, had triangulated an area for them to search.  She certainly was smart.  They’d been searching for about an hour and Clarke was quickly becoming bored.

She had decided though, that she wouldn’t talk to Raven until she was ready to ask her about the Ark.  She knew she shouldn’t think about her old home.  It tended to bring memories of her first days on the ground to the surface.  One was already coming up,   
  


_ Clarke let out a groan and brought her hand up to rub the side of her head.  When she cracked her eyes open, she looked at her hand and noticed the red liquid on them.   _

_ Fuck _

_ She’d hit her head on impact and if the headache she felt meant anything, she definitely had a concussion.  She looked out the window in front of her and was temporarily blinded.  When her eyes finally adjusted she saw white.  White for miles and miles.  She could see an occasional dead tree or boulder but other than that it was just a field of snow.  With renewed urgency, she unhooked the harness around her chest.  She wasn’t supposed to be in a snowy area.  Certainly not a field.  Jaha’s message had said she’d be landing on Mount Weather.  He’d also said she’d have to contact them with a radio to tell them if earth was survivable.  She nearly let out a wail of despair when she saw that the radio had been trashed on landing. _

_ With a great deal of effort, she kicked open the door of her pod and was immediately met with a gust of freezing air.   _

_ She let out a bitter laugh at the feeling.  Even if the earth was survivable, she wouldn’t last more than a day in this weather.  She had nothing more than a light jacket.  Not even a blanket.  She was going to freeze to death.  Though her entire body screamed for her not to, she stood up.  Testing her weight on both legs, making sure nothing was broken.  Once she was sure her legs were fully intact she stepped out of her ship and started patting down her body.  She hissed when she felt her left wrist and finally looked at it.  It was slightly swollen.  Best case scenario, she fracture it a bit.  Worst case, it was broken.  She hoped desperately it was just a fracture.  She finished checking the rest of her body and was relieved to find her wrist and head were the only injured parts of her.   _

_ Speaking of her head.  She winced as a wave of pain shot through her head when she took a few steps.  She needed to get medical help.  Now where did one find medical help while on a possibly radiation filled planet that was uninhabited in the middle of a frozen tundra?  Clarke wonder idly how long it’s been since she crashed as she turns back to her crashed pod and begins to route through it.  The blonde finds a small bag containing two packs of rations, a water bottle and a hunting knife in a thigh holster.  She attaches the knife around her leg and pulls the backpack on.  As much as she wants nothing more than to lie down and sleep, she has to look for some place to stay.  Some place out of the wind.  Behind the drop ship, she sees what looks like a pine forest.  It’s far, but it’ll be worth the walk.  She lets out a groan and sets off on her journey. _

 

 

Clarke is roused from her memory when Raven says her name,

“So, Wanheda.”  She says the title more sarcastically than Clarke would have liked but she decides not to comment on it.  

“Sha?”  She murmurs in response, not wanting to speak too loud just in case there are Maunon in the area.  A possibility which she is beginning to doubt.  

“How is it that you managed to just appear?”  Clarke furrows her brows,

“What do you mean, ‘Just appear’?”  She questioned, the brunette truly wasn’t making any sense.

“Well Heda has grown to trust me over the time I’ve been here and I’m in command of most of her spies.  They’ve reported to me that you were a nobody before Nia took you as her Seken.”  Clarke opened her mouth to let out an outraged noise at the fact that the girl had spies watching her but Raven held up her hand.

“Shof op, you know damn well that you have spies watching you.  You’re Nia’s most valued assassin and her old Seken.  You can’t expect people to  _ not _ want to know about you.  Now, as I was saying.  You just appeared out of nowhere.  One day our spies report back saying that Queen Nia has taken a Seken.  Of course the smart thing to do is find out about her Seken so we had them look into you.”  Raven rambled on, pushing branches out of the way as she went, 

“But we found nearly nothing.  At least nothing of importance.  You fought along the South-Western borders for a while and earned the rank of captain but it was nothing Queen Nia would find noteworthy.  But that was it.  Nia had no reason to take you.  You aren’t royal family.  No one remotely important knew you before you became her Seken either.”  Raven’s voice had taken on a hard tone, one she hadn’t heard from the girl yet.  

“So it doesn’t make much sense.  You simply appear and people don’t do that.  Now suddenly, Nia has sent you from Polis as a “Gift” for the Commander.  It’s all a little suspicious.  Now despite my friendly attitude, I am not a trusting person and The Commander is a very dear friend to me.  So if anything happens to Heda and there is even the slightest suspicion that it was your doing, I will be at the front of the list to take your head.”  She finished the speech as they marched through the thickly wooded area and Clarke had to conjure up some fake sense of self righteousness.  

“That sounds awful like you’re accusing me of treason, sky girl.  Awful like you’re accusing Azgeda’s  _ Queen _ of treason.  You should watch what you say in the midsts of one of their assassins.”  She bit out, causing Raven to let out a bark of laughter which confused the blonde.

“Please, if anything were to happen to me, Heda would have your head.  Azgeda would be cast from the Coalition and there would be an all out war.”  Raven said, a note of smugness in her tone.

Clarke hated to admit it, even to herself, but the girl was right.  There was no way she’d be able to kill or even harm the girl without the Commander killing her.  She scowled but kept walking, letting herself fall into step next to Raven.  

“So sky girl, why are you here on earth and not with your people in the sky?”  

The brunette’s confident strides seemed to falter for a moment before she started walking again with renewed vigor.

“Why should I tell you, Wanheda?”  She snarked, Clarke rolled her eyes and resisted smacking the girl upside the head.

“Because I am curious of how someone could live on the sky, do you live on clouds?”  She asked the question one of the first friends in Azgeda she’d made had asked.  She couldn’t imagine how stupid she must sound to Raven but she grit her teeth as Raven chuckled.  At least she could get information through acting ignorant.  

“I was sent to earth to find a girl and send word to my people that she was alive and earth was survivable.  Unfortunately, before I awoke some Trikru found me, smashed my radio -it’s a sort of communication device- and brought me back to their village.”  Clarke frowned,

“You still have not told me why you are here instead of there.”  She said, the question clear in her voice.

“Right, I was sent down by a woman to see if her daughter was alive,”  Clarke had to use all her restraint not to throw Raven on a tree and demand the woman’s name.  She suspected that she knew the answer though, “She was sent down about fifteen days before me but I never found her.  No ship, no traces of her whatsoever.”  She shrugged, “I couldn’t even contact the girl’s mother to tell her I couldn’t find her.  Poor woman probably thought that she’d sent me down here to die when I couldn’t reach her ‘cause my radio was smashed.”

Clarke’s heart rate had picked up and she worried if it went any faster Raven might hear it.  

“And what was this girl’s name?”  She questioned, unable to keep the slight wavering out of her voice, causing Raven to glance curiously at her.

“It was Clarke,”  The blonde squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying not to choke on the lump forming in her throat.  

“I see,” Was all she could mutter in response.  Raven though was beginning to grow suspicious of her strange behavior.

“Why do you want to know?  This information surely has no importance to you.  Especially not the girl’s name.”  Her voice had taken on the hard edge once again, “What aren’t you telling me, assassin?  I don’t like liars.”  She nearly growled.  Clarke, almost against her own volition let her hand drift to a dagger on her hip.  She was now hesitant to harm the girl, though.  Not just because she was under the Commander’s protection.  This girl had been sent down by her mother to help  _ her _ .  What kind of person would she be if she killed her?  The voice in her head that always took Nia’s form echoed through her head.

_ Person?  _ It seemed to sneer,  _ you’re a tool.  Meant to be used however she so pleases. _

Clarke simply shook her head,  “It is nothing Raven.”  It was the complete opposite of nothing,

“I am simply feeling slightly ill.”  She felt ill because whilst she had been tortured and made into an empty shell by Nia while Raven had most likely been living well in Trikru and found friends with the Commander.  If she’s being honest with herself, this is the most emotion she’s felt in months.  Besides anger and disgust that is.  Everything else was programmed or forged by the monster inside her.  

Raven though, scoffed.

“Bullshit,”  She growled, “You look like you’re on the verge of having a mental breakdown.”  Raven whirled on her and put a hand on Clarke’s chest.  The blonde nearly cut the hand off out of reflex alone.  She settled for baring her teeth in a animalistic fashion.  Raven pushed her backwards into a tree and Clarke felt truly like a caged animal.  A feeling she hadn’t felt since her first month on the ground.  Clarke forced herself to steel her expression.

“Unhand me or I will remove you hand.”  She snarled, prompting Raven to push harder against Clarke’s chest.  She didn’t want to hurt the girl but if she didn’t back off Clarke was going to neutralize the threat.  She growled and quickly brought her hand up, smacking her straightened fingers against the inside of Raven’s wrist.  The girl let out an outraged snarl and brought her fist up.  It connected with Clarke’s cheek and she let out a growl and ducked under Raven’s next swing.  While the girl’s arm was above her, she used the advantage she had gained and tackled the brunette to the floor.  She rained blows down on the girl but Clarke didn’t keep the advantage for long.  The girl below her grabbed the fist which had just delivered a particularly brutal blow and whipped it towards her right sending Clarke off balance and giving her the chance to push Clarke off her and put herself on top of the assassin.  Clarke let out a huff of pain as Raven’s fingers wrapped around her throat and she leaned forwards.  The assassin growled and used a large reserve of her strength to smash her head into Raven’s.  The girl fell back and Clarke raised to her feet and dropped down on top of the girl.  With her knee pressed into Raven’s chest she pulled her knife out.  Raising it above her head and preparing to slam it into the girl’s throat.  Raven let out a choked laugh,

  
“Well fought,”  Were her only words before she closed her eyes, accepting her fate.  Clarke sighed but she couldn’t do it.  Not over something like this.  She was after all, the last connection she had to her people.  Raven peeked an eye open when she realized she hadn’t been killed yet.  She stood up and prepared to put her knife back in the sheath when she heard the loud snapping of a branch.  Both of their heads shot off in the direction of the sound and they saw a Maunon looking at them with a gun in his hand.  She could see the expression of fear on his face through his hazmat mask.  He brought the gun up to shoot and Clarke whirled around so that she could properly throw her knife at the man.  As she spun she felt a bullet whiz under her arm where it was lifted.  As she finished the spin the dagger she had nearly used to end Raven left her hand and buried itself hilt deep in the man’s chest.  She strode forward, making sure she kept her eye out for the second Maunon.  

“Raven, check the trees,”  She snapped as she knelt down beside the corps.  The blonde yanked the dagger out of his corpse and sheathed it then searched the body.  She picked the gun up with a look of disgust and tossed it away.

They were loud, clumsy and it was far too easy for an inexperienced killer to take out a veteran with it.  She continued to search through the Mountain Man’s person and yanked out a picture from his satchel.  

“Raven, are the trees all clear?”  She heard an affirmative grunt as the girl dropped down next to her, “You aren’t gonna be happy about this, sky girl.”  She showed the picture the Raven.  It showed the Commander sitting on her horse, talking to her guard.  Heda’s head was circled and she heard Raven’s intake of breath.

“They’re surveying the woods around Polis because they’re planning on killing the Commander?”  She questioned, her voice wavering slightly.  Clarke nodded.  

“That’s my guess.”  This was exactly what she needed.  If she took out the other Maunon she’d at least gain Raven’s trust.  In fact another way that she could gain the girl’s trust is if she told her that she was actually Skaikru.  But there was the fact that when that happened, Raven would eventually become close with her and she would have to betray a friend again.  Her thoughts drifted back to Costia and she closed her eyes.  

 

_ “Clarke, we’ve been in the woods for days.  I was raised in Trikru woods and these aren’t those.  We’re obviously lost.  Let me light a flare beacon!  My family is probably looking for me, anyways.”  She muttered, rubbing her arms to stave off the cold.  Clarke shook her head, feigning stubbornness, _

_ “Come on Cos’ I can get us back to the village, I’m the navigator there is just give me some time.”  She had been waging an internal battle for the past two days.  Those two days she’d slowly been leading Costia towards Azgeda territory.   _

_ “No, Clarke it isn’t safe.  It’s getting colder the further we travel and it’s the middle of summer.  We’re nearing Azgeda territory and they’re the only clan that hasn’t joined the Coalition!  It isn’t safe!”  She growled, Clarke could tell that her ruse wouldn’t work much longer and she had to make up her mind.  She’d been moving them along the border for several days.  If they didn’t cross into Azgeda soon, they’d find themselves in Ouskejon territory.  Blue leaf was a clan that was already very loyal to the Commander.   _

_ Clarke took a deep breath, _

_ “Costia, please trust me.  I know what I’m doing.”  It hurt her to say the words.  Oh she knew exactly what she was doing.  She was leading Costia into Azgeda’s hands.  Into Nia’s.  She’d ignored the Queen’s advice and befriended Costia, thinking that’d make it easier to get her into Azgeda territory.  It did, Costia trusted her now.  But Clarke hated herself.  She was betraying her friend.  Simply because she was too scared to take the leap and live in Trikru like Costia suggested.  Of course the girl didn’t know she was an assassin, or rather an assassin in training.  She thought that Clarke was a deserter from the Azgeda’s gonakru,  “I know these lands, I’d never bring us into Azgeda.  They’d have my head.  You know that.”  She mumbled, Costia looked at her for a moment before nodding and giving her a weak smile. _

_ “I know,”  She placed a hand on Clarke’s shoulder and she had to stop herself from choking on her emotions, “I trust you.  I know you’ll bring us home.”  Clarke nodded and pulled herself away from Costia’s grasp.  She knew if she did this there’d be no turning back.  Fighting a war is one thing but betraying your friend like this.  Turning her over to what is almost certainly death.  She shook her head and tried to push herself back into the mindset she’d developed her first month here.   _

Survival.

_ She’d do what she needed to to survive.  Regardless of what it did to her soul.  To her sanity.   _

_ “Come on Cos’ this tree looks familiar.”  She muttered as she placed her hand on a tree with a claw mark in it.  It  _ was _ familiar.  It was one of the trees that marked the Trikru Azgeda border.   _

_ “Oh thank the Spirit.”  Costia exclaimed and stalked forwards, leaving Clarke to take a shaky breath and follow her.   _

_ They walked for another two hours or so when Costia brought her hand up and signalled Clarke to stop.  She knew all too well what was coming.  They were near a village that the Azgona had taken over in anticipation of this.  Nia hadn’t told her what was so important about Costia but clearly she was an important pawn in Nia’s plan. _

_ “I hear something.”  Costia said under her breath.  The hunter’s ears were fine tuned to hear even the smallest creak of a branch.  Clarke could barely stop the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes.  Costia noticed and gave her a confused frown, _

_ “Clarke what’s wron-”  Her words were cut off as her mouth changed shape into a surprised ‘O’ and she pointed behind Clarke at a fully geared Azgeda scout.  Clarke looked at him and nodded then four more Azgonas appeared, “Clarke get back!  They’re probably here for you!”  Costia exclaimed, drawing her dagger and back away from the Azgeda warriors so none of them were behind her.  Clarke nodded and hurried next to the girl.  She felt tears beginning to well in her eyes as she uncurled the length of rope from around her belt and grabbed Costia’s shoulder.  She kicked the back of the girl’s knee and forced her to the ground.  Costia had dropped her weapon in surprise and Clarke made quick work of tying to girl’s wrists together.   _

_ The blonde saw the expressions rushing over the dark skinned girl’s face.   _

_ Pain, Confusion, Realization, Betrayal, Anger and finally, fear.  Clarke’s heart shattered at the view.   _

_ “I’m sorry Costia.”  The girl she was kneeling next to was crying now, though her expression was furious in contrast with Clarke’s broken one.  The girl threw herself bodily at Clarke and headbutted her.  The Azgeda warriors let out a growl and hauled Costia to her feet. _

_ “You bitch!”  Costia snarled, “You could have been safe in Trikru!  I trusted you!  You were my friend!”  Her vicious words dissolved into sobs as the Azgeda warrior threw her into a tree.  Clarke fell back onto the ground and covered her mouth as she tried to stifle her sobs.  The guard let out a grunt of annoyance when she kicked out at him and he drew his blade and smashed the blunt handle over her head, effectively silencing her.  Clarke let out a growl of rage. _

_ “Don’t hurt her!”  She snapped, climbing to her feet, “Queen Nia wants her alive.”  The guard sneered at her. _

_ “Alive is not unharmed,”  His voice was smug, “Now get on your horse so we can take her back to Queen Nia.”  Clarke clenched her fist and grit her teeth.  No.  She wouldn’t let Nia turn her into this monster.  Costia may hate her forever but she’ll be safe.  She put on a fake smile and nodded at the man.   _

_ “Of course, Captain Keld.”  Her smirked, satisfied that he’d properly scolded Clarke and turned to grab Costia’s limp body.  Clarke unsheathed the sword she’d taken as a prize during the war against the Plains Riders from it’s spot on her belt and with a war cry plunged it into the back of the man in front of her.  He fell to his knees and Clarke planted her foot on his back, kicking him forward and off her sword.  One of the man’s warriors ran at Clarke and she ducked under his clumsy swing and slashed her sword along the muscles of his armpit.  He cried out and drop his sword and Clarke slashed at the tendons on the back of his right knee.  He fell to the ground and Clarke spun around in time to block a heavy overhead swing from a Woman wearing a metal mask.  While the woman was distracted with trying to overpower Clarke, the blonde kicked her steel toed boot into the side of the woman’s knee sending her to the floor with a yelp of pain.  She heard a noise behind her and went to turn but her reaction was too late.  She felt something yanking at her hair and then her head smashed into a tree.  She groaned and tried to blink the pain away but came face to face with a dark haired horror.   _

_ Ontari was grinning, ferally at her, her hand wound into Clarke’s hair.   _

_ “I told you she wasn’t fit for a mission of such importance, your majesty.”  She said with a smirk, turning to look at someone behind her.  Clarke felt dread seeping through her.  She’d failed to escape with Costia.  Not only that but Nia had most likely seen the whole thing. _

_ “Indeed,” Nia’s voice rang out through the clearing and Clarke squeezed her eyes shut in fear.  Costia would be punished for this, not just Clarke.  If Nia meant to hurt the girl before she would make it even worse now.  Clarke swallowed back the lump in her throat. _

_ “Please, my queen, let me kill this insolent traitor.”  Ontari begged, as if Clarke were a toy a child wanted their parent to get them.  Nia made a clicking noise with her tongue and shook her head. _

_ “No, Ontari.  She has promise still.  Though she must be punished.  Made an example of,”  Nia seemed to consider for a moment before smirking at Clarke.   _

_ “Since this girl seems to have empathy for this play thing,”  She jerked her head in Costia’s direction, “She shall watch as  _ you _ torture her, then you shall decide her punishment.  Make sure it is something she can survive.”  Nia said, clearly proud of her plan, “It will be good practice for choosing punishments when you are Commander.”  Nia finished.  Ontari was grinning from ear to ear. _

_ “Sha, Ai Kwin.  Mochof.”  She smirked and tightened her grip on Clarke’s head the smashed it onto the tree once again, knocking her unconscious.  Her final thoughts being a vow never to get close to anyone.  Never again.   _

  
  
  


Clarke blinked away the thoughts as her and Raven made their way through the forest in search of the second Mountain Man.   

“Raven,” she muttered wearily, “We should return to Polis, the sun is setting and you know the Maunon can see in the dark.”  Raven turned and glared at her,

“They’re going to try and kill her, blondie.  I won’t let that happen.”  Raven voice was one full of anger and Clarke had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.  She grabbed the girl by the shoulder and spun her around.  The brunette let out a growl of frustration, “What?”  She snapped, 

“It won’t do any good to Heda to die out in the forest.  We’ll go back to Polis, show the Commander what we found, get some sleep then return tomorrow.”  Her tone firm.  She didn’t fear the Maunon like most grounders did for she didn’t grow up seeing them as some higher being.  She knew they were humans too.  Humans who took their people.  Nevertheless, despite the fact that she didn’t fear them like most did, she didn’t enjoy the idea of spending a night in an area where she’d nearly been killed by a Maunon.  She grit her teeth, 

“It’s a good plan, Skayon, let us return to Polis now.”  She muttered.  Raven shrugged her hand off and nodded,

“Fine.”  She finally placed her sword back inside its sheath and Clarke let out a breath of relief which she quickly regretted because it drew Raven’s attention, “I want you to know that our previous discussion isn’t over.  Tomorrow before we leave ask for a guard to escort you to my quarters.  I gave you answers about my people so you owe me some of your own.”  Raven took off and Clarke sighed, deciding not to argue for the moment.  At least until they returned to the safety of Polis.  It was, after all, probably their fighting that drew the Mountain Man towards them.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke unsheathed the daggers on her person and placed them on the arm’s rack that had been provided to her.  She took her final dagger and placed it on the table next to her bed.  It was surely the most luxurious bed she would ever sleep in.  On the Ark, despite her parents being council members, her bed wasn’t much better than anyone else’s bed.  Since arriving on the ground she’d slept on hard packed dirt, in cots, on uncomfortable stone beds and even worse.  But the bed that was presented to her with her room was gorgeous.  It was soft and covered in warm furs.  She smiled slightly and pulled her cloak off, followed by her armour and weapon belt.  She was left in her assassin’s clothes and quickly changed into sleeping clothes.  This was what she hated most.  Sleeping.  She dreamed about her first months on earth far too often when she was sleeping.  She extinguished the excessive amount of candles in her room, leaving two lit in case she needed to see and allowed herself to drift off. 

  
  


_ Clarke trudged through the frozen wasteland, her fingers were purple from the cold and she was worried she’d suffer permanent damage due to snow blindness.  It was something she’d read about on the Ark, though she never thought it would be a danger to her.  She knew if she didn’t find shelter soon, the reflection of the sun on the snow would blind her.  Being alone, blind in the snow was not an idea that appealed to her.  Luckily, she could see the treeline approaching her.  Possibly another thirty minutes of walking.  Unluckily, she was worried that after what she estimated was an hour and a half of walking in the cold weather that she wouldn’t make it another thirty minutes.  The only thing she could feel in her feet was pain.  Her shoes had gotten soaked ages ago and she was worried her toes would genuinely fall off if she didn’t find a warm place soon.  Not only that, but walking this long with what she deduced was a pretty bad concussion with the help of her pounding head was not a fun task. _

_ A ripple in the snow caught her attention and she squinted further, her eyes almost closed in an effort to see it.  Surely it was a trick of her imagination since there was nothing there.  She clenched her fists and stuffed them back inside the pockets of her light jacket.  Thirty more minutes and she’d get away from the biting wind of this snowy tundra.  She furrowed her brow when she saw the movement again.  She wanted to grab her knife but at this point she was worried that she’d drop it if she tried to hold it.  She altered her route slightly to head towards where she had seen the moving in the snow.  It wasn’t far, maybe thirty feet away.  She hunched her shoulders and began walking again.  Thirty feet turned to twenty and twenty to five.  She frowned and crouched next to the human like shape in the snow in front of her.   _ _   
_ __   
What is it?

_ She reached forwards to brush the snow away when she heard it, coming from behind her was the most violent scream she’d ever heard.   _

_ She whirled around and saw a man-shaped form sprinting at her, his sword held high above his head as he screamed.  As if it had been scripted, four others sprang up around her and she let out a hoarse cry of fear.  Tripping over her feet she began to run.  _

_ “Sis em op!”  She heard one of them scream.   _

_ There were people alive on the ground?  Wouldn’t the Ark know if there were grounders?   Her thoughts were cut off by a hard form smashing into her and forcing her into the snow. _

_ The snow that was rising up before quickly shifted into the gleeful form of Ontari.  She was brandishing a boning knife with a smirk. _

_ “I’ll ask you again, sky girl,”  Her torturer said with a smirk, “When do the sky people plan on attacking?”  She questioned, putting her knife up against Clarke’s collar bone.  Clarke let out a sob which caused pain to shoot through her body.  The many cuts and bruises being jostled at her every movement. _

_ “I don’t know!”  She cried out, feeling the press of the blade.  Ontari let out a tutting noise and pressed it into the soft, unscarred skin of her collarbone and dragging a long line along the bone.  Clarke let out a sob, “Please!  I don’t know anything!  I was a prisoner!  I was a test!”  Her cries trailed off to mumbling sobs.  Ontari’s gleeful persona finally broke and she scoffed. _

_ “You are a weak creature, Skayon.  You should be grateful the Queen has yet to kill you.”  Ontari smirked for a moment and twirled the knife in her fingers before stopping with it, holding it in a reversed grip and plunging it into her shoulder.  The scream that tore through her throat hurt with it’s intensity, the pain was so intense she thought she’d black out- _

 

 

Clarke’s head jerked up and she had to slam her mouth shut to stop the scream that had erupted out of her mouth.  She slammed her hand on her nightside table and snatched her dagger, holding it tight as she looked around the room quickly for assailants.  She swore viciously as she had probably attracted a guard’s attention.

As if they could hear her thoughts, a guard burst into the room, holding his sword out in front of him incase he needed to take out an enemy.  She recognized the man as Kodlak and she let herself slump back onto her pillow, her knife still gripped tightly in hand.  

“Wanheda?”  His tone was one of a worried man, “Are you alright?”  He questioned, she imagined it was less out of concern and more out of the fact that there was a possible threat to his precious Commander in the building.  She swallowed her bitter retort and nodded,

“Sha, gon we,”  She hardened her expression when he seemed hesitant, “Nau, Kodlak!”  She snapped, prompting him to mutter apologies and leave, closing the door behind him.  She settled her dagger down on the table beside her.  She never dared sleep with it in her bed for if it even knicked her, it would mean death.  She closed her eyes and prepared for the rest of her sleepless night.  

  
__________

 

Translations

 

Sha = Yes

Gon we = Leave

Nau = Now

Sis em op = Grab her/him/them

Skayon = Skaikru person

Ai Kwin = My Queen

Mochof = Thank you

Shof op = Shut up

Maunon = Mountain Man

Seken = Seocnd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed reading that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Though writing the Costia scene was a little difficult. Even if I don't really know her as a character, writing betrayals is often difficult for me. Anyhow, that's just a way of reminding you that non of your faves are unproblematic. 
> 
> Except for Wells. He was a sweet innocent Cinnabon that did nothing wrong and was basically replaced by Finn and I'm still salty about that cause Wells would never have massacred 18 innocent villagers. Then again, Bellamy wouldn't have assisted Pike kill 300 sleeping grounders sent to protect them in their sleep and turn into a complete racist (Towards the grounders) ass biscuit. So let's just blame Jrat and his shitty writing.
> 
> I seem to have gotten off topic though, So I must digress,
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please do give me your thoughts whether they're positive or Negative. The reviews encourage me not to get lazy and "Forget" to write for four months. 
> 
> *Cough Cough* I'm talking about my other fic *Cough Cough*


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azgeda is full of douch-canoes, TonDC, Raven Reunites with her bitch and some people we know and love come in for a surprise visit ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay of this chapter, school is kicking my ass. I certainly had fun writing the Raven scenes and the banter between her and a certain blonde (It isn't Clarke *hint hint*). Enjoy this chapter!

Raven raised an unimpressed brow at Lexa over her porridge-like meal.  An early morning breeze wafted in through the open doors of the balcony in Lexa’s personal mess. 

“Lex, she may be Azgeda but she did save me life.”  She pointed out to the older girl, she had been surprised to find herself arguing for Wanheda’s sake over breakfast.  The brunette across from her scoffed,

“Yes, after she tried to kill you!  You seem to be forgetting that part!”  Lexa shot back, prompting Raven to sigh.  

“Yes, but like I said, I sorta started it,”  Raven replied.  She’d told Lexa that earlier when the Commander had almost killed Clarke where she stood.  It had an interesting return to say the least.

  
  
  


_ Raven glanced at Wanheda one more time as the guards opened the doors to the throne room.  Lexa’s head shot up when she heard the noise and her eyes instantly flashed to Raven.  The relief that crossed her face was quickly replaced by worry.  She stood and walked towards the two girls, _

_ “Raven, what happened to you?”  She demanded, Raven nearly smirked at the Commander’s clear disregard for the bruise which had taken a blue-ish colour on the Blonde’s in favour of the cuts and bruising on Raven’s face.  She looked over at Wanheda and grinned sheepishly at the girl, _

_ “Blondie got some good hits in on me.”  She realized her wording could probably have been slightly better as the Commander’s expression turned thunderous.  Her hand shot to her back where Raven knew she kept a dagger.  Wanheda instantly tensed in a defensive manner as Lexa’s lip drew back in a snarl. _

_ The younger brunette stepped forward quickly, _

_ “After I provoked her, Commander it was my doing,”  She muttered, “Bosh Moba,”  She murmured towards the older girl.  Lexa let her hand dropped but looked no less comforted.  She nodded at the blonde girl,  _

_ “You are dismissed, Wanheda,”  Lexa said, her regular aloofness that came with the mask of the Commander had returned.  The assassin bowed her head slightly before turning and leaving the room in a hurry.  When the doors closed, Raven let out a slightly relieved sigh.  She could see Lexa physically relaxing as she reached her arm out.  Raven clasped the other girl’s arm with her own before drawing it out and running it through her hair.  _

_ “You aren’t going to be happy,”  Was all she said before Lexa nodded her on, urging her to explain what had happened.  Raven left nothing out, not even Wanheda’s insistence on knowing about Raven’s home and why she had been sent down.   _

  
  
  


Lexa shook her head.  

“I do not trust her, Raven.  I won’t risk your life by sending you out with her again!”  She snapped, Raven sighed, deciding to take a less brute perspective.

“Listen, Commander, I’m not saying I trust her either, after what Azgeda did to you, to  _ her _ ,”  She murmured the word softly and Lexa’s eyes met her’s.  The younger brunette girl saw the sadness that always echoed there when Costia was spoken of, nonetheless, she continued, “I wouldn’t trust one of them so easily.  Especially not one of Nia’s pets.  But, you didn’t see the speed at which she took the mountain man out.”  She said gently, trying to appeal to Lexa’s more tactical side, “If she isn’t a threat, then I am very well protected.  If she is a threat, she’s away from you.”  Lexa’s head shot up from her meal and she opened her mouth, most likely to begin yelling at the darker girl again but Raven wasn’t having it, 

“Lexa I swore fealty to you when I first ventured to Polis!  Let me protect you, I am a capable fighter.  If Wanheda tries anything, I will radio you immediately.”  She finished, her voice hard but her eyes begging Lexa to allow her to continue their search.  Lexa let out a frustrated noise and ran a hand through her hair before standing.

“Fine!”  She snapped, Raven had to stop herself from grinning at the older girl’s words, “I want hourly updates from you.  I do not want Wanheda knowing about the radios though, make sure you keep the knowledge away from her.”  Lexa finished, a defeated tone laced in her voice, “Now go get ready, I will have a guard make sure the assassin is ready in half an hour.  You should be too.”  She stood as she spoke and Raven rolled her eyes, standing as well.

“Yes Commander,”  She gave an exaggerated bow, prompting an exasperated look from Lexa.  Raven took no notice though, she was too busy planning on how she could strong arm the blonde girl for information.  

“Oh and Raven?”  The girl turned her head and raised a brow,

“Yes, Lexa?”  

The older brunette gave a smirk, “You’re going to TonDC.”

 

__________

  
  


Clarke slid her final knife into her boot and left her room.  Fifteen minutes before, Kodlak had entered her room and told her to be ready to leave in half an hour.  She needn’t take that long though.  So now she left and nodded to Kodlak, who stood dutifully at her door, his hand ever resting on the hilt of his sword.  She nodded at him and he pushed off of the wall.  He gave her a nod back, the bear skull on his face had the telltale signs of the black kohl used as warpaint.  

“I shall escort you to the entrance hall where you shall meet Raven kom Skaikru.”  Was all he said before he set off down the hall.  His long strides leaving Clarke to jog slightly to catch up before she could match his stride with any grace.  She momentarily was reminded of when she would roam the halls of the Ark with her father, trailing behind him ever so slightly.  She shook the thought off when she heard harsh whispers.  

A smirk donned her face, angry whispering was something she knew all too well.  It often came with telling secrets.  Clarke was an expert with secrets.  Some of the secrets in this building might just be able to get her in higher grace with the Commander.  They were in the Ambassador’s hallway now and she strained her ears, letting her training kick in.

“What do you mean I did not pay you enou…  I payed … agreed amount … why has Prince Roan not been freed?”  She heard Mitelius’s voice as he spoke, she narrowed her eyes, who was Mitelius paying?  Why would he be freeing Roan while Clarke was here?

“... must take caution over the loyal guards… he will be out soo… takes patience… ”  Clarke nearly growled in frustration, she’d walked out of range of the conversation and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t hear any more.  With a sigh, she decided to do what she always did.

Something reckless.

“Hod op, Kodlak, I wish to speak to my ambassador.”  Her tone held no place for question so he simply nodded.  She turned and shoved the door open, not bothering to acknowledge Mitelius’s surprised sputtering at her unannounced entry.

She shut the door firmly before turning back to the two men.  Miletius seemed to be talking to a random guard, most likely one that was frequently in the tower.  One that was not loyal the the Commander whatsoever.  She smirked at the guard’s horrified expression and the ambassador’s which was growing with anger.

“How dare you enter without permission, Klark!”  The ambassador snarled, Clarke almost scoffed, the man thought he was her superior.

“Subdue yourself, Miletius,”  His anger simmered, at least momentarily and Clarke nodded, “Is this man loyal to Azgeda?”  She asked, jerking her head in the guard’s direction.  The ambassador nodded before rounding on the guard,

“You are dismissed, Rorik.”  He said with finality.  The guard nodded, muttering goodbyes to Clarke and the older man before turning and leaving.  Clarke rounded on Mitelius and she allowed a small growl to escape her lips, 

“What are you plotting, Mitelius?”  She questioned, leaving no room for him to deny anything.  He seemed to hesitate though, at that her expression shifted into one of anger, “Answer me, Ambassador.”  She snapped, her patience quickly wearing thin.  The man quickly moved to rectify his mistake, 

“Moba, I have payed guards to free Prince Roan so we may return him to Queen Nia.  She will be most please with me.”  He had a self-righteous smirk on his face and Clarke wanted to smack it off.  She suppressed the snarl that she felt growing in her throat but he could clearly see her expression growing with anger.

“Are you a fool, Miletius?”  She demanded, trying to keep her voice down so that Kodlak wouldn’t hear from out the door,

“W-What?”  He stuttered, taking a step away from Clarke.

“I asked if you were a fool, you must be if you think freeing Roan whilst I am in the city is a sound plan.”  She snapped, he seemed to pale in realization.  “Heda will think I am here to free him and have me executed, you think Queen Nia will be pleased if her head assassin is killed due to your fault?  Do you think she will be please when Heda sends the entire Kongeda to attack our nation?”  She realised her voice was rising and with a large amount of effort brought it down.

“Rectify this mistake by the time I return from my hunt for the Maunon or else I will see to it that you are no longer a threat to Azgeda’s safety.”  With that she turned and stalked out.  It took quite a bit of effort not to slam the door behind herself when she left.  She was glad she didn’t because Kodlak was leaning against the wall opposite to the wall with a concerned expression,

“Are you alright, Wanheda?”  He questioned, most likely noticing her heaving chest.  She took a deep breath and nodded,

“Sha, Kodlak, lead the way.”  Was all she said before he nodded, stoic once again.  

  
  


She followed him through the winding halls of the visitor’s floor before they reached the elevator.  They entered and stood in silence as it made it’s descent into the entrance of the building.  When they exited the elevator she saw Raven standing, her hand on her sword as she tapped her foot impatiently.  When the brunette saw the two of them exiting the elevator she nodded,

“About damn time, let’s get going Wanheda.”  She said the name with only a little sarcasm which, in Clarke’s books, was an improvement so she simply dipped her head in acknowledgement before stalking forward to match the girl’s pace out of the building.  

“So, Raven kom Skaikru, which part of the forest are we off to today?”  She asked, she truly was curious,

“We’ll be heading to the forests that surround the village of TonDC”  Clarke nodded dutifully, 

“There were some reports from their chief that they’d seen a mountain man late last night.”  She sounded far too excited about the idea of the Maunon being near a town, “We’ll be entering the city to talk to the man who spotted them and their chief before we begin our hunt.”  She sounded almost giddy, it positively astounded Clarke.  Nevertheless, she nodded and remained apathetic to Raven’s instructions.  

“It’s two hours journey so I hope you’re reading to walk, Azgedon.”  She smirked at the brunette as they walked through Polis’s streets.  Clarke rolled her eyes, when Nia had been her fos she had sent her to run around the capital city’s walls until she threw up every morning.  It had certainly conditioned her to be able to run.  Despite hating Nia’s training methods, she had to admit, they trained her much faster than a regular warrior’s regimen would have.  

“I am more than prepared for the trek, though I am not sure if I am ready to spend two hours walking with  _ you _ .”  She muttered, Raven snorted but gave no other response.  

She groaned internally, this was going to be long.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke was proud of herself, she’d gotten all the way to TonDC without once wanting to stab Raven in her dumb face.  

Okay, maybe she’d thought about it once or twice.

It simply wasn’t something that could be helped though, the girl, who she’d learned had been a mechanic on the Ark had to be the most annoying person she knew.  And she knew quite a lot of people.  

Nonetheless, they entered the town of TonDC without incident.  She glanced at the girl beside her and saw her grinning widely, practically bouncing on her heels.  Even someone who wasn’t trained to see people’s hidden emotions would be able to see that she was excited.  That made Clarke truly curious.  As they walked into the town Clarke began to tense.  She was in a Trikru territory.  The enemy’s territory.  She knew the people living here were just as tense to see her walking around, dressed in her full Azgeda apparel.  Despite the glares she was receiving, none of them said anything except to mutter hello’s to Raven.  When they were further into the town a large burly man walked up to them and Clarke tensed.  She hadn’t liked the idea of leaving all of her weapons outside of the city’s limits but she had to make Raven trust her.  If Raven trusted her, she was one step closer to the Commander.  The large man had a long brown mane of hair and a beard to match.  The tattoos on his face were clearly those of a healer and she relaxed slightly.  What surprised her was Raven raised her arm to clasp his own.  He had a warm smile on her face as he looked at her.

“Hei, goufa, what brings you back to TonDC?”  He asked, his question clearly directed at Raven.  The girl grinned and pulled him into a hug before stepping back.  The motion surprised her somewhat, she hadn’t seen it done in a long time.  The action was mainly reserved for lovers where the clasping of arms was a prefered method of greeting.  Even between friends.  Raven must have taught him this form of greeting.

She drew herself from her musings to pay attention to the interaction.

“Heda sent me to take out the remaining Maunon that your scouts claimed to have seen near here.”  She thought for a second before adding, “Plus, how could I resist seeing my favourite people in the world.”  She smiled, leaving Clarke somewhat confused.  Perhaps Raven had crashed near here and these were the first grounders she met?  Either way she was close with this village.  The man nodded, a small smile on his face before he turned to look at Clarke.  His eyes narrowed somewhat but he stayed relaxed,

“Tell me, Raven.  Why is an Azgeda with you?”  Though he didn’t sound as hostile as Clarke would have expected, she couldn’t resist bristling slightly at the words.  Even if they weren’t an insult.  The brunette looked over at Clarke and bit her lip in decision before speaking again, 

“This is Wanheda, a gift to Heda from Queen Nia.  The Commander thought she’d be most useful taking out the Maunon.  Wanheda, this is Nyko.”  Clarke nodded her head in acknowledgement and she saw him tense.  He was a doctor and she was an assassin.  She nearly snorted at the stark difference between them.  Though she had medical training.  She probably wasn’t anywhere near as good a doctor as him but she could have helped once upon a time.  If she’d landed here instead of Azgeda.  

She clenched her fist, her nails leaving crescents in her palms as she tried to cast the  _ what ifs _ out of her head.  

“Nyko,”  She muttered in acknowledgement, tilting her head up to allow her threatening demeanor to fall in place.  She heard Raven let out an amused scoff before turning back to the healer.

“Nyko, is she here?”  Raven asked, the previous excitement entering her voice once again.  Nyko gave her a small smile and nodded towards a tent set up further into the village.

“Sha, ba hos op.  You know Indra does not like being kept waiting.”  Raven grinned and nodded,

“Good seeing you, Nyko.”  With that she took off.  Clarke groaned and trudged after her, ignoring the booming laugh that Nyko let out.  

 

__________

  
  


Raven felt an overwhelming joy as she pushed through the war tent’s flaps and saw the all too familiar blonde.  At the sound of Raven’s entry the girl whirled around her knife already leaving her sheath.  Seconds later Raven found herself pressed against a table in the tent with a knife at her throat.  

She smirked as the Anya let out a gasp of surprise before sheathing her knife and pressing further into Raven, slamming her mouth onto Raven’s own.  Raven chuckled heartily into the kiss, her hands finding Anya’s hips.  She pulled back after a few moments to breath, a grin on her face.

“Hello to you too.”  She said, a smirk on her face.  Anya rolled her eyes, and pressed a kiss to her forehead before backing up,

“So,” Raven started, “you seem to have made a habit of greeting me with a knife to the neck.”  She said, her hands gracing her hips.  Anya chuckled,

“You seem to have made a habit of entering without permission.”  Anya retorted, turning to look at the maps on the table.  Raven grinned in response, 

“You didn’t seem to mind when I entered without permission last time,”  She said, recalling the previous visit she’d taken to TonDC and the long, physically rewarding evening that followed.  Anya rolled her eyes once again,

“You have the mind of a goufa,”  Anya muttered,  Raven grabbed her from behind and spun her around, placing her hands on Anya’s hips and pulling her into another kiss. 

“You love it.”  She murmured against her lips.  Anya nodded, deciding they had bantered long enough and Raven was grateful.  She was happy to be back in her lover’s arms, at peace with no distractions-

“As much as I hate to break up such a  _ touching _ reunion,”  She heard Wanheda’s voice speak, dripping with sarcasm, “There is an angry village chief who looks like she wants to slit my throat and I feel like the Commander would not appreciate if I killed one of her warriors.  Perhaps you’d like to join me?”  Raven let out a growl and released Anya, stepped away and glaring at the blonde.  Anya spun around and instantly changed into a battle stance and let out a noise of anger that easily topped Raven’s.

“ _ Azgeda _ ,”  She reached for her dagger and before Raven could stop her she whipped the dagger at the assassin.  Raven sucked in a breath but before she could even let it out, Wanheda plucked the dagger out of the air as if it was floating in place.  She let out a dry chuckle,

“I had to stand on a thin beam thirty feet in the air as Nia threw daggers at me to train me, you’ll have to try harder than that if you want to kill me.”  She smirked and flipped the dagger in her hand before slamming it into the table point first.  Raven noticed the tick in the short blonde’s jaw and realized that despite her calm attitude she was most likely not enjoying being threatened every two seconds.  Anya went to take a step forwards but Raven place a hand on her shoulder, 

“Anya she is with me.  Wanheda,” She spoke the name, emphasizing it to get the point across, “Is a gift from Nia.  She is here to assist me take out the Maunon assassin.”  Anya relaxed minutely and she nodded.

“Go speak with Indra.  Tris and I shall accompany you on your hunt for the Maunon.”  Raven smiled and nodded, that was a plan that she could go along with.  Ignoring the groan Wanheda let out, Anya and Raven left the tent in unison, leaving the assassin no choice but to follow.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke couldn’t help but feel bored as Raven and the chief, whose name was Indra greeted each other.

“Raven, it is good to see you again, friend.”  Indra clasped Raven’s arm and Clarke leaned against the wall, trying not to let the bored huff of air in her mouth escape her lips.  

“I do believe we were sent here to hunt a mountain man, I have yet to draw a weapon.  Can we leave soon?”  She drawled.  Nearly everyone in the chief’s building turned and glared daggers at her.  She was used to it of course, all Azgeda soldiers got the glares in the best of situation and a sword in the gut at the worst of them.  Raven simply sighed,

“She’s right Indra, we need to take him out.  Him and his buddy’s target was the Commander.  He’s a threat that we can’t let live.  If they’re willing to go to the capital to take out Lexa then they’re desperate.”  The others gave murmurs of approval.

“Very well,”  It was Anya, the blonde girl who Raven had been kissing who spoke, the brunette had told her she led a regiment of sixty scouts in these forests and Clarke couldn’t help but be impressed, “We should leave immediately.  I will fetch Tris and I can lead you to where Penn saw the Maunon last night.”  The others nodded and all seemed to agree, leaving Clarke, once again, with no choice but to roll her eyes and follow them.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke was trailing behind the trio in front of her.  Anya was Tris’s fos so naturally the two got along perfectly, because in Trikru and fos and seken fighting was unheard of.  Typically a fos was a trusted adult.  In Azgeda, a fos was someone who decided that you’d survive a winter.  She sighed as Tris jumped onto Raven’s shoulders, laughing loudly.  Clarke admired the fact that she still had her innocence despite the fact that she most likely already had kill marks.  

Ignoring the slight pride she had in the young girl, despite not knowing her, she was annoyed.  There was no way that the maunon wouldn’t  _ not  _ hear them if they kept making this much noise. 

Unfortunately, she had a feeling that the older blonde would try to stab her if she told them to be quiet.  Most likely make some sort of retort about intruding on family time.  She rolled her eyes and kicked at a root as she walked.  At least she had her weapons back.  She’d felt so completely naked while unarmed.  In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in public without weapons.  It was reassuring to be able to feel at any of her sheathes and feel the strong hilt of the daggers she kept on her person.

They entered a clearing and Clarke glanced up at the sky, they’d been searching the forest for hours and the sun was beginning to set.  She stopped and looked around before nodding to herself.  

“Hod op.”  She called out, the others turned to look at her and she nodded at them, “We stop here, eat and set up shelter.  We’re already too close to Maunon territory but too far from TonDC to return before dark.  It’ll be safest to camp out for the night.”  She said, already pulling the skin of water she kept around her waist off and uncapping it.  Anya scoffed,

“I don’t take orders from Azgeda, certainly not from assassins.”  She snapped, her expression one of anger.  Raven muttered something into her ear but the older blonde shook her head,

“No, why does she think she’s in charge?  The assassins are deceitful, Azgeda are deceitful!”  Clarke clenched her jaw, trying not to feel indignant.  She wasn’t wrong, after all.  “I wouldn’t trust you to wash my clothes without putting some sort of poison powder in them!”  She snarled, Clarke let out a bitter laugh.

“If you want to keep walking, be my guest, I am simply suggesting a sound strategy.”  She pointed off in the direction where they had been walking, “If you want to keep searching for someone who has most likely returned to the mountain, be my guest!  But I will stay here, eat, and make a shelter so that I do not have to travel in the dark!”  She snarled, before whirling around.  She knelt down and began snapping branches off a fallen tree.  She heard a rapid intake of breath from the three girls behind her and clenched her jaw, Ignoring them.

“Wanheda,”  She heard Raven mutter.  She ignored the girl and continued collecting the branches for her fire.

“Wanheda!”  Raven snapped, her voice harsh this time.  Clarke growled and whirled around, faced with three faces looking at the sky with different expressions.

Tris’s face was full of excitement, Raven’s with surprise and Anya’s with weariness.  Raven took a shallow breath before pointing in the sky, 

“There.”  Clarke turned to where Raven was pointing and let out a strangled noise.  Falling towards the earth in the rapidly darkening sky was some sort of fiery meteor. 

_ No. _

She looked closer and realized it was a drop ship.  A parachute exploded from the top, slowing their impact and she couldn’t help but stare in shock.  She heard Raven whispering;

“Oh my god, they’re alive.  The people of the Ark are alive.”  


 

 

__________

 

Hod op = Stop  
  
Bosh moba = Apologies  
  
Moba = Sorry  
  
Kongeda = Coalition  


Hei = Hello  


Goufa = Child/Kid

Azgedon = Azgeda person

Ba hos op = But hurry up

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah? AH? Now shit can really start taking off. Ranya is a thing because I love them and don't worry, I'll go into a bit more detail of that next chapter. There'll also be some more Clexa interactions next chapter. Sorry for the lack of Lexa! Hope you guys enjoyed! Leave your reviews cause you guys keep me motivated to write when you write cause it shows me you guys like the story! Anyhow, that's it for now. 
> 
> Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke returns to her original people with a plan. Bellamy is a douche as per usual. Raven and Anya are adorable. Lexa is standoffish as hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aghh sorry it took so long to get the chapter out. I had to set a lot of stuff up without making anything feel to rushed. The chapter is like, twice as long as usual though so you guys get to enjoy that! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I certainly loved writing it.

Clarke stood inches away from Anya, the two glaring at each other,

“This is not up for discussion, Anya!”  The shorter blonde snapped, causing the taller one to chuckle and shove Clarke back a few steps.  It’d been six days since the Arkers had landed and she was sick and tired of waiting for orders.  Sick and tired of sitting around doing absolutely  _ nothing. _

“You’re damn right it isn’t.  You aren’t going to the dropship, Wanheda.”  Her tone was firm but Clarke shook her head and whirled around, 

“Try and stop me.”  Was all she muttered before she started walking in the direction of the fallen craft.  She felt a hand on her wrist and she whipped around, her eyes murderous.

“Come on, Blondie,”  Raven snapped, “These are my people, you think I don’t want to go see them?”  She questioned, Clarke opened her mouth but snapped it shut.  She couldn’t very well respond with,  _ They’re my people too. _  No she had decided to keep that a secret and for now, at least, it’d stay that way.  

Finally, Tris, Anya’s Seken spoke up.

“I agree with Wanheda,”  She said, though a little hesitantly.  All three heads snapped to the quiet girl, equal measures of shock on their faces.  “It makes sense, we need to see if they’re a threat or not and frankly she is the most expandable out of all of us.”  She shrugged and Clarke rolled her eyes at the teen’s attitude and clear lack of respect for the assassin.  She couldn’t even find it in herself to be offended.  Thought the half mortified, half amused look Anya sent her Seken was quite amusing indeed. 

“Your Seken is intelligent, Anya, listen to her.”  Clarke said, her words begging, but her tone cold.  Raven shook her head but Anya looked as if she was beginning to consider it and closed her mouth.

“Listen, Azgeda,”  Raven started, “They’re my people.  I thought they were all dead by now, alright?  I want nothing more than to see them but you’re right it’s not our place.  Okay?  The Commander said to keep away from the group.  Besides, Anya’s scouts said they’re mostly just teenagers.  We need to stay here and wait for orders, okay?”  Clarke simply looked at the brunette incredulously.  Of course that wasn’t okay.  Clarke had instantly be moved into a background position, most likely never seeing the members of the Ark.  She needed to see them.  Any of them, one of them could be her mother.  The thought made her breath catch in her throat and it was enough for her to nod her head in approval of Raven’s plan.

Of course she had no intention of following the girl’s plan.  It was a plan that someone who had faith in the Commander would enact and she did not have faith in the “mighty” Heda.

“Fine,” She snapped, turning to leave. “I want to do something to help.”  She said before leaving the tent.

 

__________

  
  


Clarke was stepping through the forest’s obstacles almost instinctively when she heard the snapping of branches and the telltale sounds of human laughter.  Instantly, she crouched down, surveying the surroundings for the source of the noise.  She saw two girls holding hands and giggling, walking through the forest hazardously.  Planting the occasional kiss on the other.   

She rolled her eyes, of course.  Less than a six days on the ground and hormones were already affecting their decisions.  She continued to walk, crouched low until the girls could no longer be heard.  Instead, she heard the hubbub of a large group of people.  A large rowdy group.  She found herself climbing a tree and moving between them to get closer to the source of the noise.  Finally, she found herself on a tree and from the tree she could see the entire “Camp” that the Arkers had set up.  

Of fucking course.  

She recognized many of the people of course, they were prisoners.  She’d bet twenty lashes that these were the prisoners of the Ark.  Every single one of them.  It was pure chaos.  

She debated for a moment, should she leave and go back to the others who were surely awake at this point?  Or perhaps she should try talking to the prisoners.  She frowned in contemplation.  They were prisoners, their reaction to seeing someone alive on the ground would surely be hostile.  

She was about to begin making her way back through the trees when she heard a girl let out a scream of fear.  She whipped her head around to find the source of the noise and saw a young girl, perhaps twelve, her hand clasped over her mouth and pointing at Clarke.  She felt dread settling in her stomach as others began to look in her direction and let out surprised noises.  Finally, a boy with sharp cheekbones spoke,

“There’s a person!  A living person!  Grounder!”  He screamed, surely gaining the attention of the rest of the delinquents there.  Clarke groaned inwardly and let herself drop from the tree, pulling her head up at the same time.  She landed near a girl with dark brown hair and the girl stumbled back, tripping over a rock and falling.  Clarke moved forwards, reflex driving her as she caught the girl and straightened her.  She heard screams go up around her and two boys came towards her.  The girl she’d caught stepped back hastily an unsure expression on her face.  The boys took some very obviously home made knives out.  Clarke resisted the urge to roll her eyes and put her hands up.

“Calm down, I come in peace.”  She said, speaking loudly and clearly.  She heard more shocked gasps when she spoke.  The boy with the sharp cheekbones came up to her, passing the two armed boys.

“You can speak?”  His voice was coloured with disbelief and she nodded.  She recognized many people in the crowd that had gathered but she was glad they hadn’t recognized her.  She probably wouldn’t recognize herself either though.  Her face had finally shed the childish roundness to it, her body was lean and muscular, her warrior’s scars as well as the torture scars that covered her face and neck surely disfigured her beyond recognition.  

She nodded in response to his question and he opened his mouth, surely to ask another one when she heard a loud voice drawl,

“What the hell is going on?”  Her head shot up to the cocky voice she heard and her eyes fell on a brunet boy who looked to be older than the others.  She instantly tensed when she saw the gun he was waving around hazardously.  

“Bellamy, there’s a grounder.”  The same blonde boy spoke to her and Bellamy shot him a curious look, 

“What’re you talking about Drew-”  His question was cut off as his eyes fell on Clarke.  She was clearly different from the others, the skins and pelts she wore as clothes setting her apart from them.  Instantly he brought his gun up and aimed it at her and she tensed further.

“Put the gun down.”  She spoke in her most threatening voice, a voice that was very developped.  He seemed to hesitate at that but then steeled his expression.

The girl who she’d saved from falling put her hand on the boy’s shoulder and shook him a bit,

“What the hell, Bell!  She’s unarmed!”  He shook his head and shoved the girl off, taking another step towards her.

“She’s a grounder!  For all we know she’s the one who threw the spear at Jasper!”  She tenses when he cocks the gun and her hand snakes to her hip, resting on the hilt of one of her knives.

“I do not know who this “Jasper” boy is but I guarantee that I did not throw a spear at him, nor did any of my people.”  She spoke loudly and clearly, wanting the group of delinquents around to hear what was going on. 

“Bullshit!  You’re lying.”  He took another step forwards, raising his other hand to hold the gun, pointing it at her.  She drew her lip back in a snarl and drew her knife, getting into a more defensive position.  The delinquents around her began making scared noises and she heard a few of them say things along the lines of “Put the gun down Bellamy!”  She also heard others telling him to shoot her.  The others had backed away and had formed a ragged circle around them.  The dark haired girl who had spoken to Bellamy earlier stepped forwards again and pushed the gun down so that it was aiming at the ground.  

“Bellamy if she meant us any harm you’d already be dead.”  She was looking desperately between to two, “I have a feeling that the bad ass grounder covered in knives is better trained than you.”  He shook his head and pushed the girl away,

“Stay out of this O,” He brought the gun up again and looked at two boys, “Miller, Diggs, grab her.”  She let out a low growl and gripped her knife tighter, preparing for a fight.  She didn’t want to harm any of the delinquents too badly and even the slightest cut from her knife would spell out their demise.  

“Stay back and you live.”  She snapped, twirling her knife for effect.  The two boys who’d stepped forwards seemed to hesitate but Bellamy growled,

“I said grab her!”  He snapped, waving his gun around.  She snorted, not giving him the satisfaction of knowing how fast her heart was beating,

“You have a gun yet you send two untrained boys with crudely made knives to face off against a trained warrior?  Coward.”  She shot out.  Perhaps antagonizing him wasn’t a good idea but she was satisfied that her tactics worked when she saw Miller and Diggs look at each other and nod in agreement before stepping away.  Bellamy shot them furious looks and Miller looked apologetic,

“I’m sorry Bellamy she’s right.”  He muttered in a low voice.  She almost relaxed when she heard someone let out a groan of anger and then shoved his way to the front of the crowd.  A sleazy looking boy she thought she recognized as John Murphy was stalking forwards and whipped a knife out, heading straight for Clarke.  She growled and tensed again and the boy who was walking towards her began talking,

“You’re all cowards.  She’s just some dumb grounder bitch let’s snatch her and get this over with.”  Once within touching distance of Clarke he reached forwards to grab her, as if she’d just let herself get yanked around by this egotistical snob.  She quickly sheathed her dagger and grabbed his outstretched hand and spun around, using the momentum of her turn to throw him over her shoulder and onto the ground.  Once there she brought his arm up between her legs and pulled.  Before he could start grabbing at her she pressed her knee hard into his neck and he immediately began choking, grabbing at her knee to pry it away.  Around her she heard cries of anger but no one came forwards.  

At this point all the boy could do was tap on her knee.  His face was a scarlet red from lack of oxygen when she finally let go and stood up fully.  She turned back to Bellamy, murder in her eyes and spoke; 

“Would anybody else like to try?  Or would you like to begin talking?”  She snarled, Bellamy looked mutinous, eyes darting between all of his so called “followers”.  She guessed that those with knives were the ones that were supposed to be doing his dirty work but they all seemed antsy to do it.  

Behind her she heard stirring and turned to see the sleaze ball struggling to his feet.  He glared in the direction of the crowd,

“Really?  A grounder attacks me and you all just watch?”  His voice is laced with rage, “John, help me grab this bitch.”  A boy hesitantly walked out of the crowd, a knife clutched in his hand.  He walked forwards hesitantly and Clarke rolled her eyes.  They were trying this again?

“Stay back.  That is your final warning.”  She didn’t even bother pulling her knife out, “The next one to attack me dies.”  She finished, letting her words wash over the delinquents.  John slowed to a stop and Octavia let out a noise of anger and stalked towards Clarke.  The blonde tensed, prepared to kill the girl, if reluctantly but the girl turned her back once three or so feet away from Clarke.  She spread her arms wide, almost creating a shield in front of Clarke.

“You’re all idiots!  She could have killed Murphy, god knows half of us want to and she didn’t!  She stopped Miller and Diggs from advancing, she could probably kill them from where she’s standing and yet she hasn’t harmed any of us save a few damn bruises!”  Clarke looked at the brunette’s back, somewhat impressed by the passion with which she spoke.  She turned to Bellamy once again,

“Bell, please.  Just stop being a dick just because she’s not one of us.  Stop being a dick just because she’s ruining your whole “Whatever the hell we want” scheme.  She could help us.”  She finished.  Letting her arms drop.  The boy tensed before letting his hand fall,

“Fine,”  He pocketed his gun and pointed at Octavia, “But if she hurts anyone, that’s on you.”  With that he turned around and stormed back to the dropship.  A few followed him, including Murphy, John, Diggs and many other unnamed Skaikru.  But most stayed around to learn about the mysterious blonde grounder.  She smirked internally at the title.  She saw a few that she recognized, Drew was talking to a tall muscular boy.  The two were standing close and whispering.  Her eyes shifted to Miller who was looking at her curiously, his knife back in his pocket.  A few others she’d known back on the Ark.  She was glad none of them had recognized her yet, though it was only a matter of time.  Finally, Octavia turned to her, her eyes screaming of apology.  

“I’m sorry about my brother,”  She nodded her head in the direction Bellamy had left and it clicked in her head, Octavia was the girl who lived under the floor.  Clarke remembered when she’d been arrested.  Everybody heard about her.  She felt slight pity for the girl, “He can be a bit of a dick but he’s just trying to protect us.  Well, me.”  She muttered, looking down slightly.  Clarke nodded,

“I understand Octavia kom Skaikru.”  She said, letting herself fall into the mindset of “grounder” as the Ark teens had taken to calling her.  The girl look at her curiously,

“What was that?  What you just said?”  Clarke smiled a bit at the girl’s curiosity.

“That was trigedasleng, I said ‘Octavia of the Sky people’.”  She nearly laughed at the look of wonder in the girl’s curiosity but reminded herself to remain stoic and schooled her expression.  “I am Wanheda Kom Azgeda.”  The brunette girl nodded enthusiastically,

“What does Azgeda mean?  If we’re Skaikru what is Azgeda?”  The question came from Miller instead of Octavia and she nodded in acknowledgement at the boy.  

“Azgeda means ice nation.  I come from much further up north.”  At this point, a group of people had gathered very close around her and she had to try and calm herself down, remind herself that these people were not her enemy.  They were simply excited children who didn’t understand how the earth worked.  She’d have to teach them quickly before they made contact with other grounders.  It would be safer that she taught them how laws worked on the ground.  How  _ people _ worked on the ground. 

She sighed as she looked at the people around her, there were about fifteen of them.  If only fifteen were willing to listen out of the larger number she’d seen earlier, about 100, she’d have difficulty swaying their thoughts on grounders.  But she’d do it.  After all, she only had so much time before the others arrived.

 

__________

  
  


Anya swore in trigedasleng and clenched her fist, resisting the urge to punch a wall.  The guard who’d delivered the news that Wanheda was gone looked scared and she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.  She heard stirring behind her and glanced back at her bed.

_ Their bed _ .

The thought was enough to calm her slightly,

“Ahn?”  The brunette asked, her voice thick with sleep, “What’s going on?”  She asked, quickly rubbing the sleep from her eyes and sitting up.  Anya sighed and sat back down on the bed next to her lover.  She took the girl’s hand in her own and rubbed her thumb over the knuckles gently.

“Wanheda is…”  She chose her words carefully, not wanting to upset Raven so early, “Missing.”  Raven tensed under her and sat up and she knew she wouldn’t have any luck in getting the girl to go back to sleep.  With a sigh she got up and padded over to her discarded clothes and began pulling them on.  She heard Raven doing the same behind her and smiled at the feeling that had settled in her chest.

Besides the worry she felt over having invaders in her territory that Raven insisted they take as much caution as possible when dealing with.  Plus, the constant anxiety she felt with having an Azgeda assassin -Wanheda no less- in one of her villages, it was nice to have a sort of routine with the girl she loved.  She pulled the knife she kept on her off the table and slid it into the concealed sheath on her leg.  When she turned she saw the sky girl staring at her with something akin to admiration.  With a rare smile on her face, she walked over to the girl and dropped her hands to her hips, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.  Raven chuckled throatily into the kiss but pulled away, shaking her head.

“I’m not kissing you until you clean your mouth.”  She said, a smirk on her face.  Anya rolled her eyes and moved to the wash basin in her tent, taking the bristled brush from the side and cleaning her teeth vigorously.  After spitting the liquid from her mouth and taking a sip of the water in her wash basin she returned to the Brunette with a smirk, kissing her again, deeper this time.

“Better?”  She asked, light humour light in her eyes.  Raven let out a hum of agreement and grabbed her hand, tugging her over to the bed.

“Sit down, I want to braid your hair.”  She commanded, leaving Anya to groan.

“Hodnes, I know that you want to practice your braiding but the Commander is arriving today.  They must be good-”  She stopped talking when Raven raised a brow at her accidental insult, she backtracked quickly, stumbling over her words in a way only Raven had ever managed to make her,

“Not that your braiding is inadequate, love, I simply have not seen Lexa in a long time.  Your braids are lovely-”  She stopped talking when she saw the amused smirk on Raven’s face and her lips turned down slightly, “You are going to braid them either way, aren’t you?”  She asked, defeat seeping into her tone.  Her partner’s smirk shifted into a grin and she nodded,

“Sha, now you are catching on.”  Anya groaned and sat down where Raven was patting the furs of their bed but made no further comment.  Raven always got what she wanted.  The thought made her smile to herself as the brunette began tugging at her hair. 

Wanheda could wait until Lexa arrived.

 

__________

  
  


Lexa heard the horns announcing her arrival in the village of TonDC and tried not to be annoyed.  She loved her people, it was perhaps the only love (besides a few platonic loves) that she allowed herself to feel.  After all, Love is weakness had become her motto after the passing of Costia.  She dispelled the thoughts of her lover when she saw Anya and Raven making their way through the small crowd that had gathered to where she was on her horse.  

“Kru kom TonDC, mochof gon osos ai au.”  She spoke calmly to the people of the village and after her introduction those who had been working returned to their stalls and those who didn’t stayed to greet their Commander.  She swung her leg over the horse and landed with a huff.  She took a few steps and greeted some villagers and warriors, giving them kind words and nods.  When she finally made it to Anya and Raven she clasped the arm of the former and gave a warm not to the latter.    
  
“Take me to Indra.”  She spoke formally, still in the prying eyes of the public.  Her former Fos nodded and they made their way through the town to the war room.  It was an underground area that had been outfitted with a table in the middle.  It was a decent size, not unlike the one back in Polis.  She noted Indra leaning over a map at the head of the table and Anya cleared her throat.  Indra looked up and to her credit had no reaction other than a small spark of surprise at seeing her Commander.  

The older woman made her way over and clasped Lexa’s arm as Anya had in greeting,

“Hei, Heda.”  She spoke, her tone formal and stiff.  Lexa nodded back,

“Hey, Wocha Indra.”  She responded.  They let go of each other and Lexa turned to Gustus and nodded at him, signaling for him to go wait outside.  He bowed his head and left the room.  When she turned she was met with the full force of Raven hugging her and she heard Anya chuckling and Indra letting out a sigh of annoyance.  Lexa gently pried the girl off her and looked around the room.  She instantly realized what had been nagging at the back of her mind and scolded herself for not remembering earlier.

“Where is Wanheda?”  She questioned, looking around the room, as if in search for the blonde girl.  Raven let out a huff at that and sat on one of the chairs heavily.  Lexa raised a brow at the girl’s childish behavior and Raven looked away with a slight blush.  Indra scoffed, 

“What the Skayon meant to say before she had a small tantrum was that Wanheda left TonDC some time between last night and sunrise.  Most likely to go see the 100 that fell from the sky.”  Lexa’s nerves prickled at that.  She had given clear orders not to go to the “Dropship” as Raven had been calling it.  

“What do you think her intentions are?”  She asked the three in front of her.  Indra looked at her for a moment, opening her mouth before closing it again then speaking,

“Permission to speak freely, Heda?”  She requested, Lexa nodded in consent and the woman cleared her throat before speaking.

“I do not think her intentions matter.  She is Azgeda, an assassin at that.”  Indra began, prompting a sigh from Lexa.

“I am aware, Indra, everyone seems quite insistent on pointing that out.”  Indra gave her a slightly sheepish look but continued,

“She is a threat to you and this coalition, why did you not simply have her killed when she arrived?”  Indra asked, Lexa frowned at her,

“Indra that is treason and you know it.”  Indra shook her head,

“You are Heda, no harm would come in the end.”  Lexa tilted her head,

“No harm would come?  Azgeda would be furious.  The coalition would crumble.”  She said before adding, “Besides, if we kill whenever it is convenient, how are we any better than Azgeda?”  She questioned, her voice dropping as they all thought back to Costia’s death.  A death that had impacted all of them in different ways but equally so.  Indra nodded at Lexa’s reasoning and sat,

“I understand Heda.  Though I do not know what her intentions with the Skaikru are.”  Lexa nodded, guessing as much.  She turned to Raven, who had spent the most time with her.

“And you Raven?  What are your thoughts?”  She asked her friend, hoping the girl had insight.  

A furrow appeared between the brunette’s brows and she shook her head slightly.

“I’m not sure, she seemed interested about my story and my journey to the ground.  Perhaps the true reason Nia sent her here was to spy on me since I am Skaikru?  And by luck the 100 arrived and she hopes to gather more information?”  She guessed, though she looked doubtful.  Lexa shook her head,

“I doubt that, she is an assassin.  Not a spy, Nia has much less valuable people doing her spying.”  She rubbed at her jaw in frustration, letting out an annoyed huff that Titus would have said was unbecoming of a Commander.  It was Anya’s words that brought her out of her musing though,

“Even if we knew why she was there.  The real question is, are we going after her?”

 

__________

  
  


Clarke ducked under the heavy untrained blow that Octavia sent at her with practiced ease and smacked the girl on the back, showing that she’d made her hit.  The girl let out a growl of frustration as she stumbled from the weight of Clarke’s attack plus being unbalanced from the overswing.  

“No, do not put your entire body into a swing.  It is too easy for your opponent to use your leverage against you.  A mistake that will end your life.”  She spoke the words for the second time and Octavia growled but nodded.  The brunette turned and faced Clarke again, bringing her fists up.  Clarke already noticed at least a dozen spots in her stance that needed correction.  Clarke sighed and shook her head.

“Em pleni.”  Octavia cocked her head to the side unsure what Clarke meant and Clarke was almost surprised with herself that she had slipped into Trigedasleng by accident.  Clarke nodded her head, “Enough”  Clarke clarified, chuckling slightly, “You have enough cuts and bruises on you that Bellamy might just decide to shoot me anyways.”  The small crowd that had gathered around where Clarke had been chuckled.  She looked over at the group that had followed Clarke away from the dropship slightly.  She’d made sure to know all of them incase she needed to have them at her defense against the more “anti-grounder” delinquents.

Octavia was her biggest supporter.  The younger girl had immediately began talking to Clarke once the initial crowd had dispersed.  She’d practically begged Clarke to teach her how to fight and Clarke had been slightly taken aback by her eagerness.  After the brunette explained that Bellamy wouldn’t let her do anything she decided to agree.  Admittedly, she’d been reluctant to train the girl.  She remembered when she’d first landed.  Her muscles had been weak and every small hit had hurt.  Octavia was resilient though.  No matter how many times Clarke struck her down, Octavia got back up.  Of course, Clarke was not going her hardest on the unmuscled girl or she would be dead.  Her eyes shifted to the others with her.

Miller had been a surprising supporter, he looked like he was very clearly under Bellamy’s thumb.  Perhaps Clarke’s words, calling Bellamy out as a coward had shifted his views.  The others were pleasant but not as surprising and over what she estimated was two hours others had been trickling in.  She could now count about fourteen including Octavia and Miller. 

Monroe, Harper, Jasper, Monty, Drew, Dax, Myles, Finn, Fox, Del, Deek and a young girl named Charlotte were there.  She’d spoken to a few of them and had decided which ones she’d extend an inch or so of trust to.  

Monty and Jasper were obviously a package deal though they were quite harmless so she ignored them for now, though she was glad Jasper had survived the spear to the chest and wanted to speak to whoever had helped heal him.  Monroe and Harper were adequate with the ugly weapons they’d crafted so she kept them in mind.  Drew was kind to Clarke and seemed loyal he was good at fighting with his axe and apparently an even better hunter with it.  Myles still acted like a child but he easily had a body that could be trained into a warrior as Clarke had, he’d been arrested for shoving a guard away from his mother when he was thirteen.  She felt bad for the boy, he hadn’t deserved his imprisonment.  Though many of them didn’t.  Fox was a shy girl who was clearly pining over Jasper and Clarke had rolled her eyes at the way she’d stared at the floppy haired boy.  Dax, the tall lumbering mass he was was actually quite nice.  He had beaten a man to death who had stolen from him and though if Clarke had heard the tale when she’d first landed she would have been horrified, now she was simply impressed.  She hadn’t spoken to the others yet, choosing to ignore the boy named Finn who flirted with any living female.  

Octavia, Dax, Miller, Harper and Drew.  Those were the ones she wanted to keep in mind.  After all, she may be an assassin now, but she had been a captain of a force of fifty.  She had trained gona and she’d do it again.  When she heard a voice she hadn’t heard in two years she tensed, unbelieving.  

_ It couldn’t be _ .

“Got room for one more, Wanheda?”  The voice was full of respect with a hint of fear.  A tone she was not familiar with coming from her childhood friend.  She whipped around and saw Wells walked towards the small clearing where those who had followed her stood and talked among themselves.  When he caught a glance of her face she saw him frown slightly, a look of recognition that was replaced with even greater confusion.  She swallowed the lump of anger in her throat when she saw him.  He’d grown, he was more muscular now, most likely to be eighteen soon.  

“Of course.”  She kept her voice devoid of emotion as she nodded at him.  He hesitated, looking at her as if trying to remember something.  Most likely trying to figure out why she seemed familiar.  The snort that nearly escaped her lips would have been most inappropriate.  

“I-”  He seemed uncertain, almost as if he thought himself to be going mad, “I feel like I know you, but that’s impossible.  Why do I recognize you?”  The question was asked in a low voice, she doubted anyone else heard the question.  Realizing that he’d most likely figure out who she truly was soon (After all he  _ had _ been her best friend through her entire life) and she needed to speak with him.

“Wells kom Skaikru, may I speak with you in private?”  She jerked her head in the direction of the forest.  He seemed slightly shocked, perhaps because she knew his name.  Or maybe because he had recognized her.  But in the end he nodded.  

Once the two were a safe distance away from the others she stopped, content that they wouldn’t hear.  The duo faced each other and Clarke began sizing him up, stopping when she realized he was doing the same thing.  When he spoke his voice cracked in disbelief,

“Clarke?”  The rush of emotions she felt when he said her name was unwanted.  The way he stuttered out her name as if she were a ghost.  As if she were dead.

_ They thought I was dead _ .  She realized, she opened her mouth, willing her trembling knees to stay strong.  So many questions popped into her head.

How could you betray me and my father like that?  How do you recognize me?  Are you one of Bellamy’s supporters?  But only one question could truly leave her lips.

“Why are you here Wells?”  It was a bone weary question, a sense of dread had settled in her stomach.  Why  _ had  _ Wells been arrested?  Clarke had always been the one to lie to their parents when they broke an object around their cabin.  Clarke had always been the one convincing Wells to stay up, just thirty minutes longer.  So why had Wells been arrested?  

He looked down as if in shame, she could see his jaw working.

“When my father told me you’d been sent to earth I was angry,” He spoke, looking at the ground still, “I was angry that you would most likely die.  I was angry that I never got a chance to say goodbye.  Most of all, I was angry that I wasn’t with you.”  His quiet admissions hurt her slightly.  Why was he allowed to be so sad?  She was the one who had been tortured into submission.  Forced to become a killer.  Forced to take on the title of the Commander of Death.

Forcing the anger back down, she continued to listen, “I began sneaking liquor out of my father’s personal store.  To forget about the pain,”   _ To forget about you.   _ The unspoken words made Clarke’s anger dissolve just slightly, “I realized he’d notice quickly and began stealing from the public stores.  A bad idea.  I was never the rule breaker of the two of us.”  He gave her a ghost of a smile before toeing the dirt below them, “I was caught and arrested.  Two months later and here I am.”  His bittersweet smile twisted into a scowl, “You’re alive.  Why didn’t you radio?  Why didn’t you contact the Ark?  Clarke they sent 100 children to the earth!”  She could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes.  A thing she hadn’t felt in years.

“I’m sorry Wells, I tried.  I tried so damn hard.”  She admitted softly, letting her weakness show for a moment.

“Well it wasn’t fucking good enough.  You should have tried harder.”  He snapped, his soft tone replaced with an anger that Clarke wasn’t familiar with coming from him.  His years alone must have changed him.  Though her anger flared up as well,

“Are you kidding me?  Have you fucking seen me Wells?”  She gestured at her face, at the scars that bubbled from her hairline down past the line of her shirt.  He flinched slightly but she continued, pulling down her shirt to reveal a large scar that had been left after Ontari’s arrow had pierced her.  She pointed at the wound, 

“This, is where I got fucking kabobbed by a girl who was trained from birth to fight, because  _ I could not dodge the arrows she shot at me. _ ”  She snarled, pulling her sleeve up to reveal the brand of Azgeda which had been seared into her skin multiple times.  

“I was branded in the same spot with the same damn brand over twenty fucking times, day after day just so that they could shatter my already broken sanity.”  She dragged her fingers over the warriors marks that she now donned proudly.

“These are the warrior scars I received after I killed a man in single combat for a Queen who has turned me into a fucking tool.”  The boy who used to look at her with thinly concealed admiration was staring in horror at her, his back pressed against a tree.

“I have survived endless torture.  I have survived being beaten into submission.  I have survived four months of endless fighting against a clan who refused to stop terrorizing our villages.  I have survived enough to climb the ranks of the Ice Nation to become the Queen’s head assassin.”  Her breathing was slightly laboured due to her yelling, 

“I have sacrificed everything to survive.  Do not tell me I did not try hard enough.  You would have died before even leaving Azgeda’s dungeons.”  She snarled.  Finally she brought her voice down to a whisper, “I have lost my very soul to the Ice Queen and I have a mission to complete.  If you tell anyone I am from the Ark I will remove you to make sure I complete my mission.”  He looked at her, shock clear in his eyes at her threat.  Shock and hurt.  As she walked away, she called over her shoulder,

“Do not let me see you near me again, Skaikru.”  She finally allowed herself to brush the few tears that had escaped from her eyes away as she walked away.  

 

__________

 

It had been seven days since her screaming match with Wells.  She was mildly surprised that no Trikru had come yet.  Clarke was feeling much more settled along the group that she considered her gonakru.  It was a much larger group now, larger even than her original gonakru when she was a captain.  About 62 of them.  She had Octavia, Miller and Dax helping her run their training.  Dax was the most experienced fighter and though she had been teaching him to rely more on skill than his size.  After all, Clarke could take down a group of gona twice her size at once.  She’d learned that Bellamy and the stupid boy Murphy had convinced all of the 100 to take their wristbands off.  The wristbands had been their only communication with the Ark and she had silently cursed the branwada.  

It was midday and some of her kru were eating while others trained.  She’d had Drew lead a hunt with her the second day she was there and she shared their spoils with all of the 100.  Though she was only training those that came to settle in the somewhat separate camp from the rest of them.  Bellamy continued to grow more and more enraged that she was “stealing” “his” people.  She’d scoffed at her words and told him that if he wanted them, he’d have to win them back.  Not that he’d have been able too.  All those that joined Clarke began living more luxurious lives, the tents they set up much more comfortable and the basic rules of the camp created a more peaceful living environment.  People didn’t have to live under Bellamy and Murphy’s tyranny.  Though Clarke knew Bellamy was most enraged that his sister was one of Clarke’s most trusted in the group.

Octavia continued to train under her mostly but she knew she wouldn’t be able to be the girl’s Fos.  The teacher’s life wasn’t hers.  She knew Octavia would be a good gona when she was given a proper Fos and Clarke would not condemn her to a life in Azgeda.  As much as she hated Trikru, she knew they treated their own much better than the Ice Nation did and she wanted to give the girl a chance at life.  

Dax on the other hand would be an excellent assassin.  Despite his immense size the tall man was excellent at sneaking.  Though Clarke didn’t want to take on the boy as  Seken she truly was considering it.  

She still hadn’t told any of them of her true identity, still having them call her Wanheda.  Though she thought some of them may have their suspicions, she didn’t think any of them were voicing them.  A fact that Clarke was grateful for.  

She’d explained the intricate levels of grounder politics and explained that if the Commander found them worthy, they would most likely take on the brand of the Coalition as Raven had done and would be integrated into the life of Trikru or among other villages.  They’d all accepted though some had wanted to stay near or with their friends and Clarke said she’d do her best to negotiate it with the Commander.  She’d cursed herself when she realized that she cared for the sky people.  Caring was something she could not afford to do.  Though perhaps caring for her people was good.  If she didn’t care for her people, she was no better than Nia.  The Queen who let the outer villages starve so that she could have enormous amounts of food.  

She was sharpening the bone knife she’d made of Charlotte’s first animal kill when she heard them, Heda’s horns.  Instantly she was on her feet, the knife left on the log that sat next to the fire pit.  

“Gona!”  She called out to her encampment, the heads turned to look at her.  At night she’d been teaching them the basics of Trigedasleng.  Greetings, pronouns, trigeda laws, everything that would be important when Anya’s warriors inevitably came after her, “Heda is here, show her respect if you wish to keep your tongue.”  She spoke loudly but calmly and instantly her three most trusted gathered beside her.  She wouldn’t call them advisors, no it hadn’t been long enough to call them that.  But she trusted their advice and their judgement.  She began walking towards the dropship and scoffed at the poorly made walls they tried to make.  Without the manpower they originally had the walls were half assed with gaps and low points in them.  She noticed Wells sitting by a fire in their camp, poking mopily at it with a stick and Clarke swallowed down her anger.  She had made her point.  Finally, she turned and saw the sight she’d been waiting to see for days.  

Commander Lexa was sitting high and mighty, atop her horse.  Her personal guard Gustus’ horse barely a step behind her own.  Anya and Raven’s horses walked to her left though they were back further than Gustus’.  There were also at least two dozen gonas walking behind them.  When the Commander’s eyes fell on hers she lifted her chin stoically.  This was an important moment.  Would she rebel now that she had a force behind her, or continue to be submissive to Heda.  

Of course she already knew what she’d do.  Slowly gaining the girl’s trust would be the only way to kill her.  She knew as much.  Without a moment more of hesitance she kneeled before the girl.

“Spek yo daun gon Heda.”  She said, turning her head to turn to the people she’d begun to consider as her own.  Even after such a short time.  It was a well rehearsed moment.  First her three advisors bowed, directly behind her and then the others.  Bellamy’s Militia was nowhere to be seen and she was glad that they were not there to interrupt this moment.  

“Gyon op.”  She heard Lexa’s commanding voice and rose to her feet.  The others took that as a cue to follow and stood as well, their stances neutral and none talked. 

“Wanheda, I did not realize you were so familiar with Skaikru.”  Her words were slightly questioning and she shrugged,

“I was not, Heda.  They were being led by a Branwada and a Bushada.”  She spoke the words as they were, facts.  The Commander raised a brow at her phrasing and she shrugged again, “Their leader, the coward, Bellamy waved a fayagon at me until I talked him down.  He was not fit to lead and I stepped in before they could cause any damage Heda.  They are all willing to take the brand of the Coalition if you will have them.”  The Commander dismounted and gave Clarke a look.  As if she could will Clarke to spit her true intentions out with her eyes.  It was an enticing idea, when the brunette was looking at her like that.  

She had to admit, the girl was aesthetically pleasing once she got past the whole “You let my people suffer, I hate your guts and plan to kill you” thing.  She mentally shook her head and Lexa nodded.

“Very well Wanheda, may we go somewhere where we may talk in private?”  The question was more of a demand and Clarke knew better to refuse.  She nodded,

“Of course, Heda.”  She looked to the three behind her and nodded.

“Octavia, see to it that Heda’s entourage is comfortable and fed.”  Clarke hadn’t even seen her nod before she was turning to Miller, “Gather Drew and his party and begin a hunt.  We have extra mouths to feed.”  Finally she turned to Dax and brought her voice down,

“Dax, keep an eye on Bellamy.  I will not have him ruin your chance for a good life on the ground with his selfishness.  If he tries to interfere, see to it that he is not able to interfere now or in the future.”  The cleverly disguised permission to kill was understood by her possible future Seken and he nodded.

“Sha, Wanheda.”  She smiled at his use of Trigedasleng.  Finally she turned back to the Commander who stood stoically with Gustus beside her and nodded her head in the direction of her tent.

“Follow me, Heda.  We have much to discuss.”  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke was relieved that the Commander had told Gustus to wait outside the tent, despite his clear hesitance.  The man made her uneasy at best and at worst combative. 

So here she stood, her hands clasped behind her back as Lexa walked into her tent.  The tent was the largest in camp but only a small part of it had a bed roll.  The rest was reserved for a hastily made table like surface that held an unfinished map that Finn and Glen had been helping her make.  The Commander saw it and walked over, studying it instead of acknowledging her.  

“Your leadership skills are impressive, Wanheda.”  She said finally.  Clarke grit her teeth, the Commander was clearly insulting her, the disbelief was clear in their voice but Clarke maintained herself.  She had no doubt that the brunette’s lumbering oaf of a guard could hear every word Clarke said.  

“I  _ was _ a captain, Commander.”  She responded icily, “You don’t just get those ranks by sitting around.”  She tried to keep her posture loose and relaxed but the way the Commander was studying her made her on edge.  The brunette in front of her tilted her head,

“That is not always the case,”  She responded, stoic as ever, “Royalty will often start as a captain or even a general, even with no former experience.”  She raised a brow at the end of her sentence, making it clear that though it was phrased as a statement, it was a question.  Clarke’s nose crinkled minutely,

“I am not royalty Heda, simply a loyal Azgona that loves her nation.”  She responded fiercely.  The Commander hummed and nodded,

“That is most curious, Wanheda.”  Clarke tilted her head,

“And why is that, Commander?”  She asked, trying not to sound as bitter as she was,

“Because for Nia, the queen of Azgeda to take on a Seken that is a lowly captain on the outskirts of her nation is quite an arbitrary turn of events.”  Clarke tensed with realization.  The Commander was  _ interrogating  _ her.  Clenching her fists, she tilted her head up defiantly, 

“Perhaps she realized that a gona that can rise through the ranks so quickly would be an excellent Seken for herself.”  She replied, keeping her words curt.  The Commander’s lip curled in what looked like a wolf’s snarl at Clarke’s brazen words.    
  
Clarke watched her visibly calming herself to the usual Commander, apathetic as usual.  

“Perhaps.”  Was all she said, though it was obvious that despite the fact that she’d drop this conversation for now, it was nowhere near over, “So, Wanheda, you said that the Skaikru who’ve decided to follow you will be willing to swear their fealty to myself and the coalition?”  She questioned and Clarke nearly rolled her eyes, having said practically the exact same thing earlier.  She restrained herself though since the Commander would probably slit her throat for such an arrogant show.  She clenched her jaw at the thought but decided to answer the Commander’s question.

“That is correct, Heda.”  She responded with, trying to talk as little as possible as not to show how much effort she was putting into  _ not  _ lunging at her and trying to strangle her where she stood.  

“And why,” She began, taking a step towards Clarke, making the blonde want to do nothing more but step away from the girl.  Despite that feeling she held strong, “should I accept a bunch of destructive,” Another step, “loud,” Another step, “weak,” Another, “goufas into my coalition?”  The Commander was standing in front of her now.  Their body’s inches apart.  The anger Clarke was feeling at the challenge must have been apparent from the clenching of her jaw and the way her fists shook minutely.  She swallowed the anger, along with her pride though.  This was not about her, this was about Skaikru.  Her primary objective may be to kill to Commander but if she could save some innocent kids at the same time, she would.  

“Because despite being from the sky and having little to no muscle, they train hard and are eager to prove themselves.  Many of them are skilled despite only being trained by me for a few days.  They could easily be promising members of any gonakru, Heda.”  She responded with the speech she’d practiced countless times already.  The Commander simply cocked a brow, though.

“I have no need for more gonas, Wanheda.  You know this, I have twelve nation’s armies behind me.”  Clarke gritted her teeth, this was going to take longer than she hoped.  

“They have knowledge of technology, medicine, farming and much more Heda.  You saw how invaluable, Raven was.”  She began, knowing that the Commander had a weak spot for the brunette, “There are fighters among them and there are thinkers, hunters as well.  Our most promising hunter Drew is already as stealthy on his feet in the forest as any Trikru.  The food him and his hunting group could bring in could help surrounding Trikru villages.  Octavia, by far the fiercest and most eager to learn is eager to take the coalition’s brand.  If you worry they would revolt you could split them up among villages if necessary.”  She paused to breath before continuing with more passion, “They are all young men and women who have been punished.  Most of them unjustly.  They want nothing more than to be accepted once again into society.  Nothing more than to have a real home.  I brought them together, gave them purpose and now within seven days they already abide by your coalition’s rules!”  She could see the Commander was beginning to accept the idea by the way she was chewing her lip.  She finally went in for her killing point, “If I, a mere  _ assassin _ could accomplish this, imagine what a real leader could do.  They are so eager to fit in, their loyalty already so certain, that I am sure they will manage to be important members in your society by the year’s end.  Please, heda, I am not one to beg but I will for Skaikru.  They do not deserve the death that will certainly arrive if they are rejected by the coalition.  Please, Heda, show them mercy and I will forever be in your debt.”  She dropped her head as a sign of submission, waiting for the Commander’s response.

 

 

__________

Translations  


 

Seken = Second  


Fos = First

Hodnes = Love

Sha = Yes

Kru kom TonDC, mochof gon osos ai au = People of TonDC, thank you for hosting me.

Hei = Hello

Wocha = Chief

Em pleni = Enough

Gona = Warrior

Gonakru = Squadron or group of warriors

Spek yo daun gon Heda = Bow before the Commander

Gyon op = Rise

Branwada = Idiot

Bushada = Coward

Fayagon = Gun

Azgona = Azgeda warrior

Goufas= Children

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh? EH? Lol, I hope you guys enjoyed that. I promised some Clexa interactions and I delivered! I hope you guys don't think I rushed the whole Skaikru following Clarke thing too much. Also about the Wells thing, I know it's unlike Wells to get all angry like that and shit but I mean consider it. He thought his best friend died hating him and then began drinking bitterly. Then he got arrested cause he was bitter and got even more bitter. Then he found out the reason all that happened wasn't true. If I were Wells I'd be salty af. But if I were Clarke and Wells started yelling at me cause of that I'd probably stab him cause of all she's been through so yeah. Also most of the 100 won't be major characters but pay attention to those I payed attention too *Hint hint*
> 
> If you wanna yell at me and stuff, leave a review ;) Hope you guys enjoyed <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Skaikru perspective. Someone new finds out about Clarke's secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know this one is pretty short but I've been super busy with science fair and midterms and I just wanted to get this out. Hope it doesn't seem too rushed! By the by, Miller's boyfriend on the Ark, Brian, doesn't exist in this fic. Just a heads up.

Octavia watched Wanheda and the Commander walk away for a moment before looking at the entourage who was beginning to dismount their horses and set up tents already.  She nodded at Miller and the Dax and the two boys set off to do what the blonde had told them to do.  She worried her lip slightly when she saw Dax heading towards the dropship, where Bellamy and his crew were hiding, before shaking her head to herself.  She had a task to complete, Bellamy could take care of himself.  

“So,”  She turned her head to where one of the Commander’s entourage was.  The brunette had just dismounted her horse and handed the reins to one of the warriors behind her, “You’re the so called Skaikru, huh?”  Octavia drew herself up fully, standing strong as Wanheda has told her too.

“Yeah and who’re you?”  She asked, cursing herself slightly for the sharpness of her tone.  The blonde who’d been riding next to the brunette girl snarled until the brunette placed a hand on her arm.  The blonde simmered slightly and turned, grabbed her horse and tying it to a tree.  The brunette chuckled,

“I’m Raven.  Raven of Skaikru.”  She said, a smirk on her face.  Octavia’s face scrunched up in confusion,

“You didn’t drop with us.  How’re you Skaikru?”  She asked, trying to figure it out in her head.  Two dropships launched when the first prisoner was sent to earth.  One authorized, one not.  Both dropships had sent no response.  Could she possibly be from one of the dropships?

“Don’t pull a muscle thinking too hard, kid.”  Raven said with a chuckle, “You look smart enough to have figured it out by now, I was in the second dropship.  Trikru found me and gave me a home.”  She shrugged nodding to Octavia, “How about you give me a tour of your camp and we talk, yeah?”  She asked, clearly wanting to talk.  Octavia couldn’t blame her.  If she’d been separated from her people for over a year she’d be eager to talk to them as well.  

She nodded and waved Bree and Derek over.

“You two mind getting the Commander’s entourage settle in?”  She asked, the two nodded in response.  They knew better than to say no.  Because though Wanheda wasn’t their Commander, her word had immense sway and Skaikru knew she was one of Wanheda’s right hand women.  With a nod towards their camp, Raven and her set off.

“So what’s it been like on the ground?”  She wasn’t able to keep the slight awe out of her voice at the final word, “We were so busy trying to survive and then Wanheda arrived and we’ve been busy trying to set up a working system of life that none of us have had the time to really relax and appreciate it.”  Raven chuckled and gave a knowing nod.

“That’s how my first few months on the ground went.  At least with you, they already know that there are people in the sky.”  Octavia nodded absently,

“You said they accepted you and you’re in the Commander’s entourage so you’re obviously important.  Does that mean you swore yourself to the coalition?”  She questioned, sounding hopeful even to herself.  Raven nodded,

“Sha, I did.  The Commander allowed me to keep Skaikru as my home name but she may want you to swear yourself to Trikru or another clan so that you are integrated as easily as possible.”  She shrugged, “I will talk on your behalf for the Commander, she listens to me.  Hopefully Wanheda makes a strong enough point for you to be accepted.  With luck you’ll be Trikru by the end of the month.”  She smiled at Octavia and the darker haired brunette nodded, her hand resting on the longer dagger that Wanheda had given her.

“Would I be able to become Azgeda, like Wanheda?”  She asked curiously, noting how Raven tensed at the question.

“Trust me, you don’t want to be Azgeda.”  She muttered darkly, Octavia frowned, 

“Why not?  Wanheda is Azgeda and she has fought tooth and nail for us.  We’re by all right, invaders on your land but she still defended us and taught us how to survive.  That is the highest amount of honour I’ve ever seen anyone show.”  Raven snorted in response, causing Octavia to bristle more.  

“Listen, you’re from the Ark.  No one has honour there.  I hate to break it to you, kid but Wanheda is an assassin from the ice nation.  The Ice nation has no honour, no boundaries and no respect.  Wanheda is no different.”  Octavia had to stop herself from smacking the girl while she spoke badly of the girl who’d saved her and her friends, “Has she even told you what Wanheda means?”  Raven asked, Octavia frowned,

“It’s her name, names don’t mean things.”  Raven shook her head with a scoff, 

“I didn’t think so.”  She muttered darkly, “Wanheda was a title given to her because of her skill as an assassin.  It means “The Commander of Death”.  Her entire life is shrouded in mystery, she by all means shouldn’t exist.  No one knows anything about her and she only appeared about a year ago.  For all we know, she was literally raised in secrecy just to kill the Commander.”  Octavia stopped and looked at the girl,

“Why are you talking shit about the woman who’s saved me and my friends?  Without her, we’d still be stumbling around blind with Bellamy.  We’d probably have attacked you when you arrived and we’d all be dead.  Many of you would be as well.”  Octavia snapped, “This conversation is over, I’ll go make sure everyone else is getting settled in properly.”  She whirled around and despite her final words to the girl she planned on sulking around for a bit.  Her mind was still spinning.  If Azgeda was as ruthless as Raven had said, if  _ Wanheda _ was as ruthless as Raven had described, why was she helping them?  She nearly walked into a tree but instead of the wood hitting her, a realization did.  

 

__________

  
  


Dax passed the sorry form of Wells, who had become a reluctant follower of Bellamy and he nearly sneered.  The boy was moping next to the fire inside the shitty walls Bellamy had insisted his small group (which was thinning every day) put up.  He heard raised voices from the inside of the dropship and rolled his eyes, walking through the makeshift curtains that had been put up as a door.  Instantly, Bellamy’s gun was trained on him and he let out an exasperated sigh.  

“Put the gun down Bellamy.”  His hand strayed to the axe on his side and his face hardened when Bellamy didn’t respond, “Now.”  He snapped.  Bellamy finally relented and let his gun drop, Murphy’s voice rang out through the dropship.

“Oh so the grounder’s bitch is here.  Why you want to brainwash more sensible people for your grounder agenda?”  Dax sighed again, giving Murphy an unimpressed look.  

“Look, I get you want Bellamy’s dick in your ass,  Murphy,” He continued on, ignoring the two’s outraged looks, “but if you opened your eyes a bit you’d see that she’s trying to help us.”  He snapped out.  Snickers went up through the room and Bellamy’s glare silenced them.  

“Why’re you here, Dax?”  Bellamy asked warily, Dax huffed and leaned against the wall next to the door.

“I’m here to make sure you don’t do anything to jeopardize our chance of a better life.”  He shrugged and ran a hand over his short hair.  Bellamy scoffed and threw himself onto one of the sloppily made cots.  Bellamy and his gang had taken to sleeping inside due to some bullshit along the lines of “Wanheda will not hesitate to kill us if she gets the chance”.  It was stupid and it only made the smart members of Skaikru look at them with more disdain.  

“Whatever, we heard the horn and we saw the “mighty Commander” and her squad of grounders.”  He said the name with enough disgust and disrespect that Dax was confident if he was born a grounder and was under the Commander’s coalition that he might slit the boy’s throat then and there,  “She doesn’t look tough, she’s just a kid.”  He muttered.  Dax rolled his eyes.  Despite the fact that when Wanheda spoke of the Commander, it was with clear distaste, she spoke with begrudging respect, though he imagined if she spoke like that in front of the Commander the woman would be quite infuriated.

“She is Wanheda’s age and Wanheda could fight your entire anti-grounder crew without breaking a sweat.  I imagine since she is  _ The Commander  _ that she could easily kick your ass.”  He said, a smirk on his face.  A grumble of complaints went about the room.  None of them were disagreeing though.  All of Bellamy’s supporters were hungry and beginning to lose faith in the man who’d spoken so vehemently their first night on the ground.  Screaming “Whatever the hell we want”.  It had made Dax scoff at the time and Bellamy’s petty dislike of Wanheda made him scoff now.  The woman was intelligent, strong and Dax was beginning to look up to her.  If Bellamy and his supporters were too blind to make the easy choice of surviving then that was on them.  Murphy was glaring at Bellamy, as if he wanted him to say something to defend his literal partner in crime but he didn’t speak up.  Bellamy looked around, his long hair flopping stupidly before muttering a few outraged words and climbing the ladder to the second floor. 

If Bellamy kept acting like a child, this task would be easier than he thought.

 

__________

  
  


Miller sat on a log watching Wanheda’s tent, the two leaders had been in there for over an hour and he was beginning to worry.  He know that Wanheda could defend herself but if Wanheda left that tent alone the Trikru would most likely kill all of them.  He sighed and turned his head back to his new sword.  The chief, Indra had been appalled by their weapons and he had managed to barter some of her food for some weapons.  Three deers worth of meat and their four best warriors got their weapon of choice from the entourage’s spare weapon crate and Drew got a proper bow.  It didn’t leave them with much food but Drew was out hunting with his party now and he was confident that Wanheda would approve of his decision.  The sword reminded him of Greek swords from the old world.  

It was a long heavy, bastard and Miller needed two hands to use it but he liked the way it felt in his hand.  The handle was a smooth bone which had come from a bear and despite it making him slightly uneasy at first, he liked his new blade.  So, he continued to sharpen the sword, Charlotte beside him doing the same thing with the bone knife Wanheda had made for her.  He smiled at the younger girl, she’d taken to following him around.  He’d found out that she needed to sleep in the same space as someone to stave off her night terrors and he’d reported that to Wanheda.  She’d taken the information and told the “Inner circle” Miller had found himself in.  It included himself, Octavia, Dax, Monty (Jasper always tended to be near him as well), Myles and Harper.  Drew tended to be at the meetings the seven of them had since he was their most important hunter.  The seven in the small group had taken turns having Charlotte sleep in their tent to keep the girl calm at night.  Though some slept with Charlotte more than others.  Octavia was usually out on some sexcapade and Monty had taken to sleeping in Miller’s tent.  He realized his eyes had drifted to the Asian boy and he blushed, looking away quickly.  

Wanheda had warned him about getting distracted while on watch duty and though right now, Monroe and Deek were currently on guard duty with some of the Commander’s guards, he shouldn’t be letting himself get distracted.  

Always have a vigilant eye.

That had been the assassin’s second lesson to Miller, he thought back to the moment.

  
  


_ Miller was seriously beginning to regret his decision of signing up for Wanheda’s warrior trained.  He’d been guarding this exit of the camp for over three hours and nothing had happened.  He was leaned against a tree and he felt his eyes beginning to droop.  Would he be able to sleep without falling like horses supposedly did?  He shrugged internally, deciding to try it out.  _

_ As soon as he felt his eyes drooping there was a blonde figure in front of him, holding a knife to his neck with a look of disappointment, _

_ “Come on, Miller,”  She scowled slightly and dropped the knife, “If I were an attacker you along with everybody sleeping in this camp would be dead before an alarm could be raised.”  He opened his mouth to respond but only a choking noise came out.  If anyone had wanted to kill him there he’d be dead.  Shame filled him and he looked down.  The woman in front of him clapped him on the shoulder, _

_ “It’s fine, Miller.  Now you know, you’ll learn.”  Her face shifted to a teasing smirk, “You’re lucky that I am more lenient than my trainer, she would most likely have actually slit my throat.”  She laughed at the way his face blanched, “Listen, you’ll be fine.  Just remember, stay vigilant.”   _  
  


Her first lesson hadn’t been a lesson she meant to teach him but had.  It was that Bellamy’s first priority would always be himself.  It was why he had shifted his loyalty to the blonde.  Why he had sworn to himself he would stay as resolute and cold as the ice Wanheda ran in every Azgeda’s veins.  When he’d told Wanheda that, the day after the guarding incident, she’d nodded but looked hesitant,  
  


_ “If that is the path you wish to take, take it.  Just remember to keep those you love near.  If you must close yourself off to the world a build walls, allow those you love to be able to break the walls down.  I made the mistake of selling my soul to a devil and I no longer have loved ones to return to.  Not even friends.”  He frowned at the statement, it made sense that she felt that way, any time any of them tried to talk deeper about her past her face would grow tight and she’d make an excuse to walk away.  He also knew he wasn’t the only one who’d caught glimpses of the intricate patchwork of scars across the thin lines of stomach and back whenever her shirt rode up on her.  Stay cold but don’t shut those you love out.  Good advice. _

  
  
  


He’d taken the advice to heart, allowing himself to think of it when he’d kissed Monty…

 

Miller cursed himself once again, distracted again.  He looked around the camp and saw many of the Trikru warriors mingling with the Skaikru.  He was eternally grateful for Raven.  The brunette acted like a mediator between the two groups.  Showing the delinquents that all grounders were nice, not just Wanheda.  Showing all the Trikru that the Skaikru were trustworthy.  They all knew Raven and trusted her and her judgement.  He’d found out by talking to a Seken named Tris that Raven had gone to TonDC, their village when she’d first come to earth.  The girl, Anya, who was a Trikru general had taken Raven as a lover not long before Raven went to Polis to swear her fealty.  She’d spoken to Raven and the girl had told her that if the Commander did accept them into the coalition, they wouldn’t keep Skaikru as their home name like she had.  They would either be spread through the clans or stay in Polis and be taken in as Trikru.  The idea wasn’t horrible to him but he was slightly hesitant.  

Wanheda clearly did not like Trikru, by the way she looked like she wanted to spit every time she brought them up.  When she’d explained what the coalition was she’d said that Trikru and Azgeda had been at war since the third Commander.  A man who’d supposedly passed seventy years ago, back when the Commander had only Commanded Trikru.  He’d been extremely interested by the history that had passed on the ground.  The culture was rich and the hardships they’d been through were impressive.  

He was finally drawn out of his bored musings when the flaps of Wanheda’s tent were drawn back.  Heda stepped out of the tent, followed closely by Wanheda.  Wanheda was barely concealing the glare she sent at the Commander’s back but she didn’t look ready to kill.  That was a good sign, ready to kill would most likely meant that the Commander had said no.  Hopefully, this look was just the passive anger that the Azgedon felt when dealing with Bellamy or any of his gang.  The Commander sent one last glance at the blonde before nodding.  Wanheda seemed to take that as a sign and hoisted herself up onto the large boulder she’d been using to make announcements.  

“Skaikru, if you will please lend me your attention.”  Miller was instantly on his feet, moving to get closer to the assassin.  After a few glares from him and some Trikru members the rest of Skaikru quieted down, allowing their leader to speak.  

“As you all know, I have been discussing the matter of Skaikru and the coalition with the Commander since her convoy arrived and we have come to an agreement.”  She glanced at the Commander one more time and the older woman nodded minutely, “All willing members of Skaikru will take the mark of the Coalition and swear their fealty to The Commander,”  She paused before continuing on a more serious note, “All those who refuse The Commander’s mark shall be banished from the lands that fall under the coalition.  You have twenty four hours to decide.  If you have any questions, please come talk to me.”  She managed a tight smile at the rest of Skaikru before stalking back into her tent.  Her normally graceful strides were somewhat jerky and he furrowed his brow, taking a step towards her tent but stopping when he saw Octavia striding in purposefully.  She would talk to Wanheda.  Octavia was definitely better with emotions than him.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke slumped in the makeshift chair.  She was exhausted.  She’d argued with the Commander for an hour and she’d constantly been making sure she didn’t say anything wrong.  Not only that but keeping up her ruthless, uncaring facade was draining when she was keeping it up for that long.  Especially with the woman who was easily her greatest enemy.  

She rested her head in her hands, her arms propped up against her legs.  She could only imagine how helpless she looked.  She heard footsteps and the ruffle of fabric which meant someone had moved into her tent.  By how heavy the footfall was it was obviously one of Skaikru so she didn’t bother looking up.  That is until she heard the intruder speak.

“Clarke Griffin.”  Her head shot up at the words, spoken by an enraged looking Octavia, “That’s your name isn’t it?  You’re the first girl they sent down to earth a year and a half ago.”  It was a statement, not a question and Clarke was pale as a sheet.

“I- What are you talking about?”  She stammered, her voice coming out shaky as she rose to her feet.  Octavia let out a bitter laugh. 

“Wanheda Kom Azgeda.”  She said with a sneer, “That’s rich.  So you’re the ‘Commander of Death’, Huh?  How many people’d you have to kill to get that name, Clarke?”  She demanded.  Clarke squeezed her eyes shut.  This was the reaction she feared from Octavia.  The girl was quick to anger and slow to forgive.

“Why didn’t you just tell me!  Why keep it a secret?”  She questioned, “Do you even care about us?”  Clarke Opened her eyes and glared at her,

“You think I didn’t want to tell you?  Octavia why do you think I helped you all.  Why do you think I didn’t kill your brother the moment he pulled a gun on me.  Why do you think I’d fight so hard to get the Commander to accept you into her Coalition?”  She asked softly, knowing that if she acted defensive Octavia would only get more angry.  The girl softened at that, if only fractionally.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?”  She asked, the anger mostly gone from her voice, replaced with hurt, “Why not at least me?  I thought we were friends.”  She muttered.  The words sent Clarke into a panic.  Friends.  Her friends always ended up getting hurt.  

The prime example of that being Costia.  There were others she allowed to get close at first, but Nia always found a way to screw that up.  She clenched her fist. 

“We aren’t friends Octavia.  I trained you and the rest of Skaikru so that you could survive inside the Coalition to give you a chance, because you’re innocent.  But we aren’t friends.”  She said, steeling her voice.  The younger girl visibly recoiled at the words and Clarke tilted her head up, keeping her apathetic mask up, “You and the rest of Skaikru will survive.  I’ve done my part.”  She said with finality.  The look in Octavia’s eyes threatened to make her crumble.

“But you are Skaikru, Clarke,”  Octavia said with an edge of desperation, “You’re one of us!”  Clarke shook her head in response.

“No.  I’m Azgeda.  I’m an assassin.”  She looked away for a moment, preparing herself for what she was about to say, “And if you speak about the fact that I’m Clarke to anyone, then I’ll use my skillset to make sure you never speak again.”  With that she squared her shoulders and brushed past the girl and out of her tent.  Octavia would never know about the blood that dripped from her palm where her nails dug in to stop the tears that so desperately wanted to spill.  

No, she’d never need to know.  The young girl would probably hate her now.  If she was lucky, said hate would fuel her to join Trikru and live a nice life.  She straightened herself once more before going to the dropship.  She needed to speak to Dax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright did you guys enjoy? Leave reviews! Love that shit. Hope you guys thought to chapter was alright, once again sorry for the wait.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad ass Clarke appears, secrets are revealed and lives are taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry belated Christmas to all those who celebrate and happy holidays to those who don't! Got an extra long chapter for you today! Hope you guys enjoy!

      As Clarke stormed through her camp towards the dropship, both Skaikru and Trikru parted for her.  Anyone could tell by the way she stalked forwards, as if on a mission, that she was in a bad mood.  No one wanted to be in Wanheda’s way when she was in a bad mood.  When she felt someone touch her shoulder, she nearly flipped the assaulting person over her shoulder but stopped when she saw Miller standing with a look of concern.  

“Wanheda, are you alright?”  He questioned, his hand still resting on her shoulder.  The title felt like a blow, especially after the conversation she’d just finished with Octavia.  Steeling herself, she raised a brow and glanced at his hand.  The boy looked at her sheepishly before removing his hand, still looking curiously at her.

“I am quite alright, Nathan.”  She replied in a clipped tone, a tone she rarely used with the Skaikru, especially those she had realized she was growing close to, “Gather the three most promising Skaikru gona and bring them to the training pits.”  He nodded his acknowledgement before setting off and Clarke continued towards the dropship.  The training pits were one of the first things she had built after basic housing and sanitation.  They’d been difficult to make but it was worth it.  There were two of them, four feet deep with about a thirty square foot radius.  Perfect for either one on one practice or group combat.  Clarke wanted them for the latter.  She walked up the door that doubled as a ramp to the dropship and pushed through the curtains.  Many of Bellamy’s crew hissed and reached for weapons upon seeing her but she merely scoffed and searched for Dax’s lumbering form.  She found him leaning against a wall in the shadows on the other side of the ship.  He nodded at her once their eyes met and she jerked her head towards the outside.  He nodded once again, this time in understanding and made his way across the dropship.  Clarke lingered though and he gave her a questioning glance,

“Go to the training pits and wait with Miller, I will join you in a moment.”  He nodded and left the ship.  She turned towards the Skaikru who had rejected that “grounder” name and studied them for a moment.  

“Skaikru,” She ignored the glares they were giving her and continued on, “The Commander has agreed to give you all homes if you swear yourself to her and the Coalition and take the Coalition’s brand,”  She let the knowledge sink in then barreled on, “The ceremony will take place in three nights in a nearby village called TonDC.  We leave tomorrow at noon since most of you Skaikru are slow in the forest and will take time to travel through these thick woods.  I will not bring up to the Commander the troubles you’ve cause and will not protest to you being sworn into the Coalition if you come before we leave.  However, if any of you stay here, you will be marked as clanless bandits and will be hunted wherever you travel inside of the Coalition’s lands.”  Bellamy’s supporters were muttering to each other in low tones now, debating something that truly did not need to be debated.  

“So, to repeat myself, your choices are; Swear your fealty to Heda Lexa and begin your new life in one of the twelve Clans or be banished, doomed to wander until death embraces you.”  She finished, standing there for a few moments more to let her words sink in, “I trust you will make the correct decision for yourselves.”  With that, she turned and left the dropship, glaring at the back of Wells’ drunkenly unconscious form as she walked.

She made her way to the pits, checking her daggers and making sure that they didn’t have the thin sheen of poison on them they normally had.  The pits had clusters of people around them, Skaikru and Trikru alike at the edges.  All watching the insides where Miller, Dax, Harper, Jones and Myles talked to each other in low voices.  Clarke nodded to herself at Miller’s choices.  They were the best gona of Skaikru.  Besides Octavia of course.  She looked around for the girl and noticed her leaning against a tree by the pit, her arms crossed as she glared at Clarke.  Clarke’s eyes met hers before darting away quickly.  She couldn’t bring herself to look at the girl she’d so utterly crushed less than fifteen minutes prior.  

She dropped down into the pit and drew one of her longer daggers, it was a fourteen inch, razor edged blade.  She remembered the small Azgeda village where she’d bought it.  It had taken her over two weeks of helping around the village for them to become friendly.  Most villages shunned Azgeda gona for the gona of Azgeda tended to be cruel and merciless.  Clarke hated the reputation it gave her.  

She looked up when Miller called her name or at least her title.  

“Wanheda!”  She looked up and nodded at him, “Are we sparring each other?”  He asked, looking nervously at the Trikru watching them and spoke quieter to her, “Showing them our strength?”  She let her lips quirk slightly before shaking her head,

“Nou, Miller, I need to spar and I do not want you to be outmatched,”  She smirked at the boy, letting her cocky facade slip into place as she flipped a dagger.  The other four in the pit had gathered next to Miller, “Good, you’re all here,”  She thought for a moment before she began unbuckling her chestplate, “No armour, as many weapons as you would like.  When you feel yourself defeated, leave the pit.  If you physically can’t leave, stay down.”  She smirked at the as she tossed the light piece of armour made of leather and steel alike -allowing perfect flexibility- to the side.  The blonde began restrapping the daggers she could back onto her person before stretching her arms.  

She looked up at the warriors in training and sighed.  She knew they couldn’t win.  She knew that the only chance they had at lasting even the slightest amount of time would be to work together.  She also knew that they didn’t have enough training to think like that, most likely they’d all be sticking with their strong suits of attack of defense, leaving their less offensive warriors to defend themselves alone once Clarke took out the braver ones.  

“You ready?”  She questioned, the five glanced at one another for a moment and muttered things in low voices to each other then nodded.

“Always.”  Dax replied in his deep voice before drawing his axe and advancing to Clarke’s left.  Miller, the second best fighter in the pit after Dax drew his longsword and went to flank Clarke’s right.  She was momentarily impressed, they had surpassed her expectations and used strategy.

Harper who was using a spear and shield she’d gotten from the entourage’s spare weapons and Myles was close to her arm where she held her shield, guarding her exposed left side where the shield could not with his sword.  Jones who was using a long curved blade followed Dax.  She dropped into a defensive stance and pulled out a second, slightly shorter knife.  

They might have their strategy, but she had trained under Nia herself.  

When Harper’s spear struck out towards her, she was instantly moving.  She stepped to the right, as not to expose herself to Myles and advanced on the girl quickly.  She let out a yelp and stepped back to get Clarke into the range of her spear again.  It was a foolish move to try and fight against Clarke with a spear.  She should know the blonde assassin was a close ranged fighter.  When Harper dropped her spear and went to bash Clarke with her shield, the others began to close in and she felt the icy coolness of battle descend over her.  She stepped back to avoid the bash and Harper stumbled, her arm was over extended and Clarke grabbed the bottom of the shield, shoving it up into Harper’s face.  She heard a sickening crack when the rounded edge of the shield connected with the other girl’s nose and winced slightly.  She didn’t have time to consider it more though, she heard the whistling of a blade flying through the air and crouched down just in time for Dax’s axe to swing over her head.  She used her already bent legs to spring at the taller boy and tackled him.  Despite her small form, he fell and landed on his back with an “oof”.  She rained a few punches on his head then quickly darted off his fallen form to prepare herself for her next attacker.  

Jones was the next one to strike.  He came at her, slashing viciously with the strength that came with an undertrained blow.  Unfortunately for him, an undertrained blow had very little precision.  Though his hits drove her backwards as she stepped back to avoid the slashes or used her daggers to glance the hits away, they weren’t doing anything other than tiring him.  Finally, she saw him beginning to tire, Miller and Myles were behind him slightly, waiting for a moment to jump in.  He brought his sword up, swinging over his head and Clarke saw her chance.  She brought both her daggers up and blocked the hard blow.  The clang of metal on metal sent a shockwave through her arms but she stayed strong, shoving his sword back.  He stumbled back and Clarke pressed forwards.  Her knives were there in flashes of silver in the air, his sword barely blocking them as he began stumbling back to get away from her assault.  He desperately swung at her at waist level from the left and she blocked the blow with her dagger, flipping it so that the blade faced the floor, she slammed the hilt forwards to the pressure point of his wrist, a blow where she normally would have used the sharp end to stab into his wrist.  He let out a scream and dropped his sword, moving to clutch his pained wrist.  She used that opportunity to deliver a shallow cut to his chest that in real combat, would have been much deeper, and much more fatal.  She dropped her right handed dagger and delivered a final uppercut that knocked the boy unconscious. 

It was the icy coldness of steel on her neck that made her pause and curse.  She’d taken her eyes off Miller.  The dark skinned boy was holding his sword around her neck, clearly waiting for her to submit.

“It’s over, blondie.”  He spoke, excitement clear in his voice.  She glanced out of the ring and saw the Commander standing with Indra and Anya at her side, watching.  She smirked, looking at the apathetic brunette with cockiness.  She was about to teach Miller another lesson.

“It’s only over when your heart stops beating and you stop drawing air into your lungs, Miller.”  She brought her steel toed boot up into his kneecap and it connected with a satisfying sound.  She whirled around, feeling the blade nick her neck in her haste as she shoved him back, grabbing his wrist as he fell backwards and twisting his large sword out of his grasp and throwing it to the side.  She heard the war cry of someone behind her and saw Myles charging at her.  She ducked under his swing and punched him in the stomach.  He tumbled back, gasping for air.  She quickly whirled back around to Miller who was standing again and was throwing a punch at her head.  She let it connect, knowing that throwing her arms up to block it would only inconvenience her more.  He head snapped back and she tasted blood in her mouth.  He didn’t have time to deliver a second punch though, her foot was in the air and connecting with his head in a devastating roundhouse kick.  He went sprawling back and landed in a heap on the floor.  She turned to Myles who had picked up one of her daggers and she grinned a wolf like grin.  The grin of a predatory animal.

He blanched and began walking back as she stalked forwards like the predator she was.  He was untrained with a dagger and it took her only a moment to disarm him, knocking him onto his back and press her reclaimed blade to his neck.

“Submit,”  She said simply.  The young boy let out a whimper and nodded minutely, not wanting the blade to cut his neck.  She stood and sheathed the dagger, spitting the blood that had pooled in her mouth from Miller’s punch onto the floor.  

She glanced around the pit and saw Harper sitting cross-legged outside of the pit, holding a rag to her bleeding nose.  Dax was next to her, grinning at Clarke despite his swollen eye.  She turned her gaze to Myles and Miller.  The younger boy was helping a slightly dazed Miller to his feet.  She turned to see Jones, still unconscious on the floor and gestured to Roma and Monroe to come remove him from the pit and have him seen too.  She had, after all, drilled basic first aid into all of their heads.  

Once she had assured herself that none of the warriors were too badly injured, she looked up at the Commander and tilted her head slightly, a smirk gracing her lips.

The slightly ache in her jaw was worth it.  She knew that the moment she saw the brunette Commander’s thinly veiled surprise.

 

__________

  
  


Lexa stared down at the girl inside the training pit, trying to contain her shock.  Sure, the skaikru she fought weren’t very trained.  Sure, Wanheda had her entire life to train.  It was still impressive though, in under 45 seconds the assassin had taken down five warriors without kill strikes.  It really was a spectacular thing to watch, especially with Wanheda’s lithe body.

She frowned, blinking when she realized what she had just thought.  Did she find Wanheda attractive?  Of course there was no denying that the girl was physically attractive but did Lexa personally see her as attractive?  She shook the thoughts off and watched as the blonde turned and walked towards one of the Skaikru.  She most certainly didn’t let her eyes stray on her hips and behind.  That would be most inappropriate, which is why she wouldn’t allow herself to do it.

She tore her gaze away from the younger blonde to look at Anya who had moved to stand by her side earlier in the fight,

“She is an impressive warrior,” Anya admitted in a quiet tone, “I expected her to simply be an assassin, using trickery and cheating to win in fights but she seems quite honourable.”  Lexa huffed in response and Anya quickly recovered from what she said, “In fighting only, Heda.  Anyone with real honour would have waited for you to arrive with orders before leaving to see the Skai fallen.”  She muttered.  Lexa frowned slightly and nodded,

“Perhaps, but anyone can do dishonourable things when desperate.  We may simply need to find why she is desperate,”  Lexa suggested, Anya nodded in response.

“Shall I post Lincoln to watch her and keep track of her movements and conversations in case she lets any intel slip?”  Her former Fos asked.  Lexa nodded absently,

“Sha, Anya that will be fine.”  She responded, Anya nodded and turned just as the Azgedon in the pit picked up her final dagger off the floor and began speaking, 

“Does anyone else wish to challenge me?”  She questioned, looking at Trikru and Skaikru alike.  There were mutters but no one stepped up and Indra let out a scoff,

“Penn, show this Azgeda girl how a true warrior fights.”  Indra snapped at one of her warriors.  Lexa couldn’t bring herself to be mad at the older woman for the insult on Wanheda.  She understood the grudge Indra held against Azgeda as much as any Trikru did.  While Lexa lost her lover to Azgeda, Indra lost her entire family to the border war against Ice Nation and nearly her own life.  

Wanheda on the other hand, seemed to take the insult to heart and Lexa saw as she tensed up and her fist tightened to a point where it was white around the hilt of her dagger.

Penn, who was a tall man with only a short stubble on his head leapt into the pit and drew his sword.

“Sen yu prote bakkova, Wanheda.  Ste won ge on shaim taim yu wan op, Sha?”  He said, his tone almost one of threat.  Lexa tensed, if the warrior was able to kill Wanheda, would she really defend the girl?  Wanheda who had finished re equipping her armour let out a short laugh and spun the dagger in her hand, none of the friendly camaraderie she had before her previous fight.  Now, she looked ready to kill.

“Chon yu ogud?”  The blonde asked the tall man who had drawn his sword.

“Ogud gaf nam daun kom Azgeda ona ai swison.”  He snarled in response, already moving at her with his blade swinging through the air.  She stepped out of the way of the swing easily and swung her foot into the back of Penn’s leg.  He fell to his knee and used this as an opportunity to role under the swing of her dagger that came from behind him.  He jumped back to his feet and was advancing on the girl once again.

Swing after swing was delivered and the blonde continued to step back and deflect the heavy blows with her daggers.  Finally, one of Penn’s weaker blows caught her blade and slid down.  Her concentrated expression shifted into a sharp grin as the blade caught on the serrated edges of the knife and she spun her knife, throwing his sword from his hands.  

“Spichen.”  He growled as he was forced to step back when the assassin advanced on him in a flurry of spinning daggers he barely managed to avoid.  He brought his arm up to stop a blade that was heading for his head and it sliced deep into his arm.  She let out an animalistic growl and lunged forwards, dropping her daggers and pummeling him with her fists.  He tumbled back under her blows and dropped to the floor.  From there she dropped onto his chest and began raining blows onto his un armoured face.  He tried to bring his hands up to defend himself but she scooted upwards, placing her knees on his forearms to keep them pinned down as she continuously hit him with savage aggression.  When Lexa heard the telltale snap of a nose breaking she brought her hand up to signal for someone to stop her but a boy she recognized as Dax ran into the pit and roughly tore her off Penn.

The girl struggled for a moment before realizing whose strong arms were wrapped around her and she seemed to sag in his arms.  Lexa held back a surprised gasp when she saw the girl’s defeated expression, the way Dax seemed to be holding her up with his strength alone.  She’d never seen the girl look so… vulnerable.  

Lexa watched as Wanheda suddenly steeled herself in the tall boy’s arms.  Her back straightening and her expression hardening.  Her gaze snapped onto Lexa for a moment before shifting to Indra.  
  
“Is that a sufficient show of how a true warrior fights, Indra kom Trikru?”  She bellowed, throwing her arms wide.  Lexa felt the dark warrior to her left tense, could feel the woman’s urge to jump into the pit to challenge the Azgona herself.  After a few tense moments Indra turned around and stalked away, Wanheda turned and did the same thing.

Lexa groaned internally and could only hope that this didn’t put a damper to their negotiations with Skaikru.  

 

__________

  
  


Raven frowned and parted from the group she was watching the fights with to follow Wanheda.  She followed from a distance, staying out of ear range and out of sight.  After a good ten minutes of walking the blonde came to a stop and sat on a fallen tree.  She tiredly rubbed at her face and touched the small cuts on her forearms hissing.  Raven settled down behind a rock and watched, she swallowed nervously when Wanheda spoke,

“I know you’ve been following me since I left camp, you going to show yourself?”  She questioned.  Raven sighed and stood up from behind her hiding spot and the assassin’s eyes locked onto her before sighing and looking away.  Raven was astounded, she’d never seen the blonde girl look so… was tired the right word?  No.  She’d never seen her look so close to giving up, “What do you want Raven?”  The blonde asked, her tone warry.  Raven’s brow furrowed.  Why had she followed her?

“That was quite a show you put on back there,” She said finally, the assassin snorted in response and nodded subtly, “Why’d you go so crazy on him?  You’re Azgeda, you’ve gotta be used to hearing Trikru insult you.”  She said, hoping to spark the defiance that was usually burning in Wanheda’s eyes.  The girl sitting in front of her shrugged, 

“I should have seen the canary in the coal mine and stopped the fight when all I wanted to do was slit his throat.”  Raven furrowed her brow, she hadn’t heard that expression since she was on the Ark, “I’m a trained assassin you know?  I’m supposed to be able to control me emotions and urges.  I don’t know.”  She shrugged.  Raven frowned further in concentration, the informal way of speaking was one Raven only heard from Skaikru, perhaps she’d picked up on it during her time with them?  Regardless of her thoughts, the brunette nodded.

“Well he’s okay, broken nose and probably a concussion but he’ll survive.  Good thing too, if you’d kill him Skaikru would probably suffer the same fate as you.”  Raven would be regretful but she wouldn’t stop it.  She held no loyalty to Skaikru, Trikru were more her people than anyone on the Ark had ever been.

“I think that’s one of the reasons I didn’t immediately stab him when he fell.  The woman, Abby sent her daughter and you down for this mission, their people must truly be desperate and who am I to condemn an entire nation.”  Raven’s breath caught in her throat when she heard Abby’s name.  

“Wanheda…”  She began carefully, the girl looked up at her inquisitively, “I never told you the name of the woman who sent me down.”  She stared at the girl, her mind whirring, Wanheda on the other hand looked like she was suffering from the beginning stages of a panic attack, her breathing was accelerated, she looked as pale as the snow that covered Azgeda’s territory and she was clenching and unclenching her hand around the dagger at her hip.

“Really?  I’m sure you did.”  The blonde responded weakly, standing slowly.

Suddenly, it all made sense.  She told no one her name, she seemed to appear out of  _ nowhere _ , her extreme interest in Raven’s home, her need to have Skaikru safely brought into the Coalition.

“You’re her, aren’t you?  You’re Clarke Griffin?”  Raven asked, talking in a low voice as if the scared looking girl in front of her was a caged animal.  The girl’s head shot up to look at Raven and she shook her head violently, Raven stepped forwards to place a hand on her shoulder,

“Clarke-”  The blonde stepped back.

“There is no Clarke anymore.  It’s just Wanheda now.  Clarke died in Nia’s dungeons over a year ago.  But yeah, I suppose you could say that’s me.”  She replied, her voice cracking showing just how close to tears she was.  It pained Raven to say what she did next but she did,

“You know I have to tell the Commander who you are right?”  Clarke let out a quiet noise but nodded, already starting to take control of her emotions.  Her back straightening, her body growing tense with what look like determination.

“We can tell her together.”  She responded after a moment, “It’ll be better if it comes from me.  I won’t look like a traitor this way.”  She muttered.  

Little did the two of them know, someone else was already on their way back to the Commander to do just that.  

 

__________

  
  


Lincoln hopped from branch to branch with practiced ease.  He’d just overheard Wanheda- no, Clarke, admit who she truly was.  She was the first Skai fallen that Raven had spoken about.  As soon as he heard Clarke admit it herself he was off, returning to where he knew the Commander would be.  Finally he dropped down from a tree once the clearing that was Trikru’s area in the Skaikru camp and headed straight for the Commander tent.  

The two guards outside crossed their spears when he approached the entrance and he announced himself,

“Ai don infor meija gon Heda.”  He spoke calmly and they nodded, moving back for him to pass.  When he walked in he saw Anya conversing quietly with the Commander where she sat on her throne.  Gustus, his former first nodded at him from his position in the corner of the tent.  

The two women looked at him and Lexa raised a brow, 

“Chit yu gaf, Lincoln?”  She asked, Lincoln bowed his head in respect before speaking, 

“I have news regarding Wanheda, Heda,”  If the Commander was surprised by this information she didn’t show it.  Anya on the other hand let out a huff,

“Shows how useless your Polis spies are, Lexa, my scout can get information in less than an hour and they have learned next to nothing of her in a year.”  She said, a smirk plastered on her face.  Lexa rolled her eyes, Lincoln knew that Anya was one of the only people who could get away with talking to the Commander like that.  Lincoln was also one of them, but now was not the time for informality.

“Commander, I overheard a conversation between Raven and Wanheda.  She is the first Skai Fallen.”  He said it quickly, in one breath of air.  Anya rolled her eyes,

“Yes we know that Raven was the first to join us from the sky, Lincoln-”  But the Commander cut her off,

“I believe that what he means, is that Wanheda is the one who was sent to us before Raven.”  Lexa’s face was carefully free of emotions.  Not even the surprise that should have been there.  Which meant that she was concealing what she felt.  Something she didn’t do very often around her closer friends.  Not that she’d ever call them that.  

“Sha, Heda.  You are correct.  She admitted it herself.  Her name is Clarke”  He replied dutifully.  She nodded at him,

“Then I need to make it known that Clarke,”  She said the name as if it sounded foreign on her lips, “Is wanted in my tent.”  She stood and Lincoln bowed his head a final time, 

“Sha Heda, I shall accompany you.”  With that, the four left the tent.  

 

__________

  
  


As soon as Clarke and and Raven entered the camp Monty was in front of her, his entire body was tense.  Jasper stood behind him sending out equally nervous vibes.

“Hey, Wanheda, The Commander wants you in her tent.”  Clarke nodded in response,

“Alright, tell her guard I’ll be there in a moment.”  She turned to head to look for Octavia, she wanted to apologize to the girl.  Mainly for the death threat.  Especially now that everyone would soon know who she was.  When she felt a hand on her wrist, she stopped.  Monty had taken her wrist and was holding her hand, shaking his slightly. 

“No, you don’t get it,” He muttered in a low voice, “You need to go now.  She’s pissed.”  Clarke’s blood ran cold at the information,

“Why?”  She demanded, turning to face him fully, despite the fact that he towered over her he seemed to shrink when her full stare was focused on him.  He shrugged helplessly,

“I don’t know, she just came and announced in front of everyone that as soon as you were seen you had to talk to her.”  She nodded and gestured for him to leave.  Why did the Commander want her there?  Had the Commander been pissed with her for what she did to Penn?  No.  That was a spar, she didn’t take it too far.  She stopped when she was pulled off.  Panic surged through her again, did the Commander somehow know that Clarke was there to kill her?  Would that even be possible?  She turned to look at Raven and the girl shrugged helplessly, 

“Let’s go see what she wants and if she isn’t too pissed, we’ll tell her about the whole you’re from the sky thing, yeah?”  Clarke nodded in response, she was glad that Raven was suddenly less hostile to her.  Though she knew that in the end it would only make it harder to kill the Commander.  She was forming a bond with this feisty brunette, “But after we need to talk alright?  I wasn’t sure who to talk to about contacting the Ark but now that I know who you are, you can tell me who’s good with tech and the dropship probably has what I need to contact that box in the sky.”  Clarke nodded absently,

“Alright, let’s just get this over with.”  Raven patted her on the shoulder and the two made for the Commander’s tent. 

Clarke recognized one of the masked guards at the door and nodded at him,

“Hei Kodlak,”  He nodded his head in response and she noticed a small smile on his lips, “I didn’t realize you were part of the Commander’s guard.”  She raised a brow at him and he chuckled,

“You think she would allow a guard she doesn’t trust to guard Wanheda in her own palace?”  He asked, Clarke chuckled in response and Kodlak and his fellow guard opened the tent flaps for her and Raven.  

“You’re friendly with him,”  Raven said with a smirk, Clarke rolled her eyes in response,

“We aren’t friends, Skayon.  Keep that in mind.”  She snapped back,  Raven raised her brow,

“I don’t think you can call me that anymore.”  She smirked her usual infuriating smirk and Clarke scoffed and walked fully into the tent.  The Commander was sat on an honest to god  _ throne _ .  The throne in Polis she understood, but she nearly burst out in laughter when she saw the throne in her war tent.  Because  _ of course _ the Commander needed the throne here to flaunt her power.  Despite herself, she steeled her expression and tilted her chin upwards.  

“Heda, you requested my presence?”  She asked, tilting her head slightly.  The girl had a dagger in her hand, spinning it between her fingers.  

“Yes, I have Clarke of the Sky people.”  The blonde blanched and quite literally stumbled in place,

“I- What?”  Lexa quirked a brow at her and Clarke managed to regain an inch of composure, “How do you-”  
  
“How do I know?”  She asked, chuckling though the laugh was quite void of humour, “Wanheda I am the Commander of the twelve clans.  If you think that I would allow a possible threat to my life such as Queen Nia’s head assassin go unwatched you must be much more dense than I gave you credit for.”  She snapped.  Clarke bristled at the comment,

“Then perhaps your spies should have informed you that I was coming here to tell you that I’m from the sky.”  She snapped back,  Gustus growled from the Commander’s side.

“You will watch your tone when speaking to the Commander,”  Clarke snorted,

“And are you going to make me?”  She asked, moving her hand to her dagger.  

Gustus growled at the threat, “Insolent girl-”

“Enough!”  The Commander’s voice cut through their bickering.  Clarke and Gustus quieted with small glares at each other.

“Raven, is what the sky girl-”  Clarke growled,

“I am not Skaikru!  I have fought and spilt blood and taken the marks of a gona with Azgeda.  I am Azgeda,”  She snapped.  The Commander took a breath to calm herself, 

“Is what Wanheda says, true?”  She turned her head towards Raven and tilted it slightly.  Clarke looked at Raven expectantly and the brunette nodded,

“She’s telling the truth, Lexa.”  Raven admitted, “After some trip ups on her part and me being my usual cunning self,”  She shot a wink at Anya, “I deduced who she was and she confirmed it and I convinced her to come and tell you.  Then the small asian boy came and said you wanted to talk to her and here we are.”  She shrugged and crossed her arms, putting her weight on her right leg and cocking her head to the side.  

“Fine, even if you did plan to tell me, why hide it Wanheda?  Why stay isolated like that?”  She demanded, Clarke frowned.  How could she respond to that without blowing her cover?  

“I- It was not a necessary detail.  My time in Azgeda has shown me that getting attached can kill you, friends will betray you and I am not going to give anyone that opportunity by getting attached to anyone,”  She shrugged, “I was given the job of following your Command and I am only here to complete it.  Not get attached,”  She shrugged again and the Commander narrowed her eyes,

“Yet mere hours before you  _ begged _ for Skaikru’s entry into the Coalition.  Where was the unfeeling Wanheda then?” She asked in a mocking tone, a small smirk on her face.  The brunette was enjoying taunting her like this, “Did you forget about your no feelings mantra then?”  She questioned, Clarke clenched her fists.  

“They are my people,”  She muttered simply, Lexa let out a scoff.

“So when I call you a sky girl you are Azgeda but now when it is convenient they are your people?”  Clarke clenched her jaw,

“I am not Skaikru anymore, I haven’t been since my dropship landed in Azgeda territory.  But, I was still born Skaikru.  My mother is still in the sky, many of my old friends are still on the Ark.  They deserve a better chance than I had.  They deserve a life, not just to survive.”  She finished, glancing at Raven who was looking at her, for the first time with a hint of admiration.  She looked away from the girl and back to the Commander, “You happy with my response, Commander?  I have a camp to manage.”  She bit out.  The Commander looked like she wanted to protest but nodded, just barely but she did.  Clarke huffed and turned on her heel, stalking out of the tent.  

She glanced up at the darkening sky and sighed, she was exhausted but she still had to speak to Octavia.  She knew by tomorrow most everyone would know about the fact that she was from the sky.  As a matter of fact, she should probably tell her inner circle before the news started circulating.

 

__________

  
  


Charlotte was shocked to say the least.  Moments ago, Wanheda- No, not Wanheda.  Clarke, had told them all about the fact that she was from the Ark.  It made a lot of sense, to tell the truth.  She spoke like most of Skaikru did and got very secretive about her past.  She didn’t feel as betrayed as Octavia obviously did, if she’s being honest she wasn’t even that upset.  She shrugged it off when Clarke left with and angry Octavia to talk in private and walked over to the people she was slowly beginning to trust, 

“So whose bed am I in tonight?”  She asked timidly, she hated the fact that she had to sleep with someone at night.  It wasn’t her fault, she knew that much.  It was Jaha’s for floating her parents.  The night terrors were horrible but sleeping next to someone always seemed to help.  

Dax looked up at her and shrugged,

“I think It’s… Clarke’s turn,”  He said the name as if it were a foreign language, “So unless she backs out you’re with her,”  Charlotte nodded and made her way towards the blonde’s tent. 

She honestly preferred sleeping in Clarke’s bed to all the others because she felt the most protected.  The girl woke up as soon as Charlotte began to toss and made sure she was okay.  The second night that she’d slept with Clarke, she’d woken up to Clarke vaulting over her from behind and pressing her knife to a person who’d entered the tent.  Of course moments later Clarke had realized that the intruder was Jasper and he simply wanted to know if he could start the fire up.  That was also the day that everyone learned not to come into Clarke’s tent without announcing it.  Nevertheless, sleeping in Clarke’s arms was a peaceful experience.  

She quickly changed into the sleep clothes Clarke had given her a few days into her stay with the Skaikru and made her way to the semi-comfortable bed of furs on the floor in the corner of the tent.  She settled under the furs and pulled it up to her chin.  She closed her eyes, hoping that Clarke would arrive before sleep did.  

It was what she guessed was ten minutes later when Clarke finally came into the room, 

“You awake, Char?”  She heard the blonde’s soft voice coming from in front of her.  She blinked an eye open and smiled slightly,

“Yeah I’m still up,”  She replied, her voice slightly hoarse.  She watched as the blonde shucked off her coat and armour, leaving her in nothing but an undershirt.  She pulled her pants off, left alone in the grounder version of underwear which was not unlike the tight boyshorts of the Ark.  Since she’d given her sleepwear to Charlotte, she usually slept in her undergarments and an undershirt.  The blonde girl stepped over Charlotte and slipped under the covers behind her.  Charlotte burrowed into the older girl.  

It was strange, she’d know Clarke for less than three weeks yet she depended so deeply on the older girl already.  She barely knew the girl yet she knew she would defend her if it came to it.

She let her eyes drift closed as Clarke’s arm went around her.

 

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she woke up to the feel of a hand on her mouth and a blade at her neck.  Her eyes shot open and she was about to scream to alert Clarke of the threat in front of the two of them when the knife pressed deeper into her neck.  Tears welled in her eyes when she felt the hot trickle of blood down her neck.  

“Stay still Skaikru, I’ll make it quick.”  I felt Clarke tense behind me, I could tell she was awake, It took less than a rabbit’s squeak to wake her.  I decided to keep the Trikru -who I recognized as Penn, the man Clarke had beaten in the fight- distracted.  

“Why?”  She gasped out quietly, “Why kill me?”  She whispered.  She felt the hand Clarke had pressed against her back slowly begin to move to find the knife she kept under her pillow when she slept.  

“She is a threat to Heda, an assassin from Azgeda.  She deserves death.  She shall have it.  And you know I did it, neither of you can survive.  I will plant it on one of the Skaikru who oppose the Coalition,”  Charlotte let out a whimper when he pressed the blade harder.  Clarke arm tightened minutely around her, Charlotte realized that if she didn’t get her dagger in her hand soon she’d attack whether she had it or not, “Stop making noise, branwada, you’re going to die either way.”  He growled under his breath.  That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Clarke let out a cry of rage and leapt at the Trikru, tackling him away from Charlotte.  It was all too late, she felt a searing coldness across her neck as Penn and the knife went flying with Clarke on top of him.

Charlotte watched with disconnected interest as Clarke pummeled him with punches.  She wondered why her limbs felt like wet sand bags.  A wetness at her neck distracted her from the black spots in her vision.  Her mouth opened in a silent gasp when she recognized the pain of blood pumping from the slice in her neck.

Not more than a second later, everything went black.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke felt a bone crack under her fists, and then more bones.  At this point she wasn’t sure whether it was her fist’s bones of Penn’s face caving in.  

“You won’t touch her!”  She snarled.  Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she couldn’t kill him.  He’d need to be brought to justice by Heda for his attempted murder.  In Azgeda he would have been forced to wear heretic forks for five days and if he survived, he’d be banished.  In Trikru though, the best Clarke could hope for was perhaps fifty lashes of a whip and banishment.  For attempted murder of a fellow gona and for attacking a child.  At least they were both alive.  

When Monty and Miller ran in, looking disheveled, Miller wearing only sleep pants and Monty in shorts and a t-shirt, Miller rushed forwards and pulled Clarke off Penn.

She let out a shout of rage and shoved Miller off, sliding on her knees to Penn’s chest and slamming her fist into him again. 

It was Monty’s heart wrenching shout that finally broke her out of her bloodlust.  She slammed one last punch into the attacker’s chest before turning to look at Monty.  He was standing, pale as snow with a hand over his mouth, tears in his eyes.  Clarke followed his gaze and drew in a broken breath,

“C-Charlotte!”  She stammered out.  She ran forwards and dropped to her knees in front of Charlotte.  She let tears well in her eyes.

There was a deep cut from one side of her neck to the other.  The lifeless look in her eyes was enough for the tears in her eyes to spill onto her cheeks.  

“Char-  No!”  A sob wracked her body as she hopelessly shook the lifeless corpse lying before her.  Through a sob she closed the girl’s eyes, trying to get rid of the imagine of the dead girl’s accusing stare.  Almost as if it were saying  _ ’You were supposed to protect me _ .’

She sobbed softly, "Yu gonplei ste odon," She murmured,

The sob quickly turned into a growl and she shoved herself to her feet, ignoring the aching in her knuckles and in her heart.  

“Monty,” She began in a deadly calm voice, the only trace of her anger and pain was the way her body shook when she breathed, “Take the knife this  _ murderer _ used to take Charlotte’s life and watch over her.  Miller, grab this bastard.  We have a Commander to talk to.”  She pulled on her pants and the rest of her clothing and armour and made sure she was fully equipped with her armour.  She stormed out of her tent, not checking to see if Miller was following.  She knew he was.

Once she was out of the clearing others were beginning to stumble out of their tents, looking equally confused.  Most likely from all the shouting coming from Clarke’s tent.

“Octavia, Dax, get out here  _ now _ !”  She boomed out, not shouting but allowing her voice to carry.  Dax was already out of his tent, buckling the belt around his waist and his axe was pinned between his arm and his body.

“Clarke what’s wrong?”  He demanded, walking towards her quickly and shifting his axe to his right hand.  Octavia stumbled out of her tent, her hair messy and a machete like sword in her hand.  

“What is it Clarke?”  Octavia was feeling slightly less angry towards Clarke after their talk last night.  Clarke may still not be her favourite person but they were somewhat on speaking terms.  

“Charlotte is-”  She choked back a sob and clenched her fist around the hilt of a dagger in her hand, “She’s dead,”  She muttered.  Dax and Octavia both let out outraged roars and demands of what happened.  Miller tossed the unconscious and bloody form of Penn in front of them.

“He killed her,”  Miller said, his eyes red and puffy, his voice torn.  Octavia bit her knuckles and shook her head Dax was swearing viciously shaking his head so hard Clarke was worried he’d get whiplash.  She blinked back tears of her own, 

“We’re going to the Commander.  If we don’t get justice for what’s happened, I’ll take it and then some.”  She nodded to Dax who picked up the unconscious man -none too gently- and nodded at Clarke,

“Lead on Wanheda, we’re behind you.”  He was sniffling and Clarke growled internally, how dare that Trikru scum do this.  They’d known each other for barely more than two weeks yet she was attached to them.  She felt like she owed them.  She’d taught them how to survive and now she was invested.

She’d gone against everything she told herself to do, everything Nia had taught her to do and gotten attached.  Now she was hurt.  Now she would grieve.

Now, she would get  _ revenge. _

 

__________

 

Translations

 

Nou = No

Sen yu prote bakkova, Wanheda.  Ste won ge on shaim taim yu wan op, Sha? = Put on your armour, Wanheda.  It would be a shame if you were killed, yeah?

Chon yu ogud? = You ready?

Ogud gaf nam daun kom Azgeda ona ai swison = Ready to feel Azgeda blood on my blade.

Spichen = God Damnit

Ai don infor meija gon Heda = I have important information for Heda.

Chit yu gaf, Lincoln? = What do you want, Lincoln?

Skayon = Someone from Skaikru

Gona = Warrior

Branwada = Idiot

Yu gonplei ste odon = Your fight is over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah... That was intense for me to write. Next chapter we finally get to see "Jus drein just daun" in full effect. I'm excited (There's some Clexa bonding in the next chapter).
> 
> I'd also like to point out, Miller's boyfriend from farm station doesn't exist in this AU cause I love Miller/Monty.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (Despite it's sadness near the end)! Please yell at me in your reviews it makes my day to read what you guys think! 
> 
> Peace out amigos.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Badass Clarke, Skaikru gets justice and Clarke and Lexa have a bit of a heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long going back to school has repeatedly been punching me in the face. Clexa is finally starting to get warmed up with each other though they're still pretty frosty and sassy with each other. Enjoy!

Clarke stormed through her camp towards the Trikru’s camping area, each step burdened with the weight of the knowledge that Charlotte’s death was her fault.  Charlotte had slept with her that night.  Clarke hadn’t reacted fast enough.  She hadn’t protected the younger girl properly.

And now she was dead.

She let out a growl under her breath and glanced behind her, making sure her trusted Skaikru followers were behind her.  

Octavia stood directly to her right, matching her stride foot for foot.  Miller was to Octavia’s right a few feet behind the girl.  She turned her head to the other side, Dax -who was carrying the murderer as if he were a sack of garbage- was to her left, his expression one of unadulterated rage.  She imagined her face mirrored his greatly.  When she stormed into the Trikru’s camp instantly the guards on patrol let out shouts of anger.  Most likely due to seeing one of their comrades unconscious and beaten on a Skaikru’s shoulder.

They stormed into the middle of the camp as a unit, only stopping when Clarke stopped ten feet from the entrance of the Commander’s tent.

The two guards at the tent were pointing their weapons and muttering to each other, people had gathered around them holding swords and torches,

“Chit komauen?”

“Chomoudo yu don Penn?”  

“Gon natronanes!”  

Voices called out around them.  Clarke took a calming breath before speaking loud, unlike her followers she held no weapons.  A display of trust to her people, she trusted them to defend her.  

“Heda!”  She bellowed out, knowing that if the Commander hadn’t woken already, she’d be awake now.  

Just as she suspected, moments later the woman stormed out of her tent, strapping on her pauldron and looking disheveled.  Gustus was by her side and when he saw Dax standing to Clarke’s left holding Penn’s body he drew his sword.  Clarke glanced at Dax and nodded her head slightly.  The boy nodded back and threw the man’s body down at the Commander’s feet.  

“What is the meaning of this?”  The Commander demanded, her lips drawn back in a snarl.  Clarke was suddenly glad for the torches being lit around them.  She realized a fight could easily break out and without the light the fire provided, it would be pitch black, “Explain yourself or you and Skaikru will be considered enemies to the Coalition and slain where you stand.”  She snapped out, her hand going to her own sword. 

Clarke let out a bitter laugh at that and anyone who knew her could her the undertone of rage and sadness in the hollow laugh.  The Commander’s expression darkened at the sound.  

“I’ll tell you what happened Commander, this scum,” She spat on Penn’s groaning form where he lay by the Commander’s feet, people bristled at the insult, “Came to my tent tonight, planning on slaying me.  Normally I wouldn’t care, I am an assassin and a warrior.  Accepting death was literally part of the vows I swore.  But since I shared my bed with a girl, a mere  _ goufa _ of twelve winters, he had to kill her too.  Or she would know what he’d done to me.  I woke before he could slay her or I but reacted to late.  He slit her throat.”  She let the words sink in, “If I- No, if Skaikru is not given justice for this crime I will take it myself.  Jus drein jus daun, Heda.”  She finished finally, clenching her jaw as the Commander seemed to consider what she’d said.  

Indra, who’d stormed into the center of the crowd where Clarke and Lexa stood scoffed and drew her sword, placing it against Clarke’s neck.  The Skaikru behind her let out outraged noises but Clarke raised a hand to stop them from attacking 

“The Azgeda is making preposterous claims, Heda!  Surely you do not believe this!  She should be punished for making such outrageous accusations and attacking a Trikru!”  She cried in an outraged voice.  Clarke let out an animalistic sound,

“If I should be punished for defending a child and seeking justice then you should be punished for raising a blade to a fellow gona!  Especially one who holds a higher rank thank you, Bandrona Indra.”  She snarled in response, satisfaction filling her when Indra physically recoiled at the insult.  After all, head assassin of Azgeda was a higher rank than a lowly chief of a Trikru village.  

Finally the Commander stepped in, “Em pleni!  Indra lower your sword,”  The woman looked at the brunette pleadingly but did not lower her blade.  The Commander’s expression soured and she took a threatening step towards the chief, “I said, lower your sword, Indra.”  She spoke in a low voice, a voice that promised to punish if it was disobeyed.  Clarke felt a shiver go down her spine as the power of it washed over her.  All around her warriors lowered their weapons reluctantly and Clarke took a barely visible deep breath when the sword was removed from her throat.  Clarke nodded at her warriors who all sheathed their weapons.  The Commander finally looked back at her, 

“You have proof to back your accusations, Clarke kom Azgeda?”  The brunette asked, cocking a brow.  Clarke bit back the anger she felt at the Commander, how dare she act so calm while a child had been murdered.

“Sha, Heda.  The body of the girl who was murdered far too young lies in my furs.”  She snapped, The Commander’s jaw tensed but she nodded,

“Kodlak, Fio, Penn is to be watched and treated as a prisoner until I return,” They nodded at their orders and picked the man up, much more gently than Dax and Miller had, and began dragging his groggy form through the camp.  

The Commander turned to her, 

“Bring me to this Skaigoufa then, Clarke.”  Clarke nodded in response and set off towards her camp, knowing she was being followed and that her warriors- no her friends, would have her back.  

The weight of her realization settled on her as she led the entourage.  She’d befriended them, she would never mourn for a warrior under her orders like she had Charlotte.  She cared for these people.  She nearly let a curse slip from her mouth as they neared her tent.  

She stopped in front of the tent and looked to the Commander, 

“Only you and one guard enter.”  The Commander raised a brow at her and Gustus took a step forwards,

“The Commander shall have as many guards as she wants in a possible enemies tent.”  He snapped, Clarke bristled and stepped towards him, 

“I child has been killed, I will not have her momentary resting place treated as a courtyard!”  She snapped, Gustus growled and began to pull out his sword but Lexa cut in once again, 

“Your childish rivalry is growing tiring!  Gustus only you shall accompany me into the tent,”  Gustus went to protest but she silenced him with a glare, “Enough Gustus, lead on Clarke.”  She nodded at the blonde who clenched her jaw and entered the tent.  When she led her party into the tent she took a sharp breath.

Monty was knelt next to Charlotte, holding the dead girl’s hand, his face streaked with tears.  He looked up at Clarke and gave her a nod, trying to gain control of his emotions once he saw The Commander.  His expression tightened,

“Commander,” He greeted with a slightly nod, moving his body ever so slightly to be in front of Charlotte.  Clarke doubted he himself even noticed he did it.

“Monty move out of the way.”  Clarke spoke in a hard tone, the boy looked like he wanted to resist but nodded and shifted so the the Commander could kneel down beside the girl.  The brunette reached forwards, almost as if to touch the girl’s face but drew her hand back.  She stood up and faced Clarke, her jaw tense with anger.  The girl may have been killed by Skaikru but a child’s death was always an outrage.  Especially when they were murdered.  

“You will have your justice, Wanheda.  When we return to TonDC, Penn kom Trikru shall atone for his crimes.  We leave tomorrow instead of overmorrow.”  Clarke nodded,

“Sha Heda, I shall inform my warriors.”  

 

__________

  
  


The next day passed in a rush.  Once every Skaikru under her command had woken properly and began to ask questions about the commotion they’d overheard, Clarke delivered a speech about how Charlotte had died and how they would receive justice once they returned to TonDC.  Naturally.  

Bellamy had tried to stir up trouble.  

He’d delivered a speech to counter Clarke’s, saying that the grounders were savages and if the 100 followed Clarke they’d all end up like Charlotte.  Clarke had almost silenced him herself but Octavia had stepped forwards, eyes shining with anger and disgust.

  
  
  


_ She shoved him hard in the chest, sending him backwards a few feet from the unexpected attack. _

_ “How  _ dare _ you use the death of a child to further your egotistical agenda?”  She snarled, “They have done nothing but help us.”  She shoved him again and he continued to move backwards with a look of fear for all of Skaikru to see, “Comparing all of the grounders to one murderer would be like comparing all of Skaikru to  _ you _.”  She spat out, her a mixture of rage, disgust and a deep sadness.   _

_ On her third night training with Clarke she’d explain that Bellamy had practically raised her on the Ark.  He was her brother and her best friend and now all she felt for him was disgust.  It saddened Clarke immensely.  She might have hated the boy since day one, but Octavia loved him.  Now she was forced to pick between becoming who she was and her last remaining family.  _

_ Bellamy on the other hand, look unhinged, _

_ “These savages have brainwashed you, Octavia!  They threw that spear at Jasper-” _

_ “That wasn’t them-” _

_ “They killed Charlotte,”  He continued on as if he hadn’t heard Octavia, “The blonde bitch is probably only handing you all over to the Commander so she can kill you without a fight just like they did to Charlo-”  He was silenced when Octavia whipped her fist at his jaw.  He fell to his knees when the blow connected, making Clarke once again aware of how much strength Octavia had.  He pressed his hand up to his cheek which was bleeding lightly stared at her in disbelief. _

_ “O?”  He asked, sounding more like a child than ever.  He looked as if he couldn’t believe she’d touched him. _

_ “They have done nothing but help us despite you being a raging asshole about it.  We’re done.  You hear me?  If you chose to come with us I don’t want to speak with you again.  Stay in your own lane.”  She snarled.  Bellamy’s disbelief shifted to anger in a second and he was on his feet, moving towards Octavia with clenched fists.  Dax went to move towards the two of them but Clarke held up a hand, Octavia wouldn’t appreciate them interfering if it wasn’t necessary.   _

_ “You’re only alive because of me!  I didn’t have a life because of you!”  He snarled, “You took away any chance I had at a life the day you were born!”   _

_ “Maybe I didn’t want to be born, Bellamy.  My entire life I’ve been locked up in a metal fucking box.  Down here, I’m free.  Down here, I actually get a choice!  If Clarke hadn’t appeared you’d still be bossing us all around, treating any boy who talked to me like you did Atom and then we’d probably all have been killed by Heda’s army!  Clarke is the only reason we’re still alive!  You’re lucky that you’re still alive with the way you talk about them!  If they were anything like how you described them, you’d have been killed the moment you waved your gun at Clarke!”  She snarled looking as if she was going to punch Bellamy again.  Clarke looked up and saw Lexa and Anya watching with mild interest from the sidelines and cursed under her breath, it was time to pull Octavia away.   _

_ She walked forwards and grabbed Octavia by her elbow gently, tugging as softly as possible, _

_ “O, we’ve got an audience, you need to stop now or do it in private.”  She muttered into the girl’s ear urgently.  The brunette glared at her for a moment -clearly still angry at her for hiding her identity and even angrier at Bellamy because the brother she once loved was nowhere in sight- but nodded harshly and turned away, her fists clenched the entire time, surely drawing blood from her own palm.   _

_ “She’s brainwashed you all!”  Those we’re Bellamy’s last words before she kicked him in the side of the head into unconsciousness.  She’d nodded her head at Monroe and Diggs and the two came forwards and grabbed him, most likely hauling him somewhere to tie him to a tree.  She certainly didn’t need him causing trouble.   _

 

 

And here they were now, walking through the forests of Trikru towards TonDC.  Most of Bellamy’s followers -including Murphy- had agreed to come with the rest of Skaikru to take the Coalition’s mark in the end.  They had left him tied to a tree and his remaining four followers were told they had three days before they would be seen as clanless bandits and were to be killed on sight.  Clarke was almost surprised when she felt not a moment of sadness when she saw Wells among the Skaikru who’d rejected the Coalition.  

The light sheen of sweat beginning to appear on her brow had her frowning.  The heavy cloaks of Azgeda were not meant to be worn in the high summer of Trikru lands.  Certainly not this far down from the North.  She pulled the cursed fur cloak off herself and draped it over one of her shoulder, leaving her in a short sleeved shirt with straps all of it to hold a few knife holsters.  

It wasn’t the first time she’d been amused by the sheer amount of knives she carried on herself.  If she knew she was in for a fight the total number was twenty three knives hidden around her body.  If she was simply walking around she had a solid twelve.  Most of them hidden except for the one in her boot and at her waist.  Now, she was wearing even less, Dax had offered to carry her extra equipment and the idea of taking him as a second was becoming more and more appealing.  The only thing stopping her was the fact that she was Azgeda.  If an Azgeda Fos took a Seken, the Seken automatically became Azgeda when they took the marks their Fos had trained them to take.  In this case, it would be a warrior’s marks.  But that would also mean he would suffer from Azgeda training.  Nia would most likely hijack him form Clarke and train him, herself.  Nia would have power over Dax, giving her leverage over Clarke.  Leverage that the Queen would abuse absurdly. 

Finally, Anya spoke,

“Thirty minutes out from the village, Heda.”  Sure enough, Clarke began to notice the clear signs of civilisation.  A footprint in the dirt here, a cut branch there.  They were close.

She glanced around at the group she was with, the “scouts” who’d been sent forward with the Commander to clarify that the large group of teens were not indeed attacking their village, but welcomed guests.  Raven, Anya, Kodlak, a man named Kato from Boudalan, Octavia (Clarke had insisted one of the Skaikru had come with them), Gustus and of course the Commander.  

She turned away when the Commander cleared her throat from her horse.  Clarke looked up and glanced away so that she could roll her eyes without the Commander getting offended.  It was less than a two hour trek and yet she rode that damned horse of her everywhere.  Clarke understood the bond that a rider made with their horse but it was a bit absurd.  This terrain wasn’t even easy for a horse to ride on.  If anything, those on horses were slowing them down.  Slowing down the start of the ripa’s execution.  

She felt her hands beginning to tense and took a deep breath, turning her head back to Commander.  

“When we arrive in the village I will make the announcement of our arrival and of Skaikru’s situation and then the natrona will be fixed to a post for execution.”  She raised a brow at Clarke as if to ask if Clarke wanted to comment on the schedule and Clarke bristled under the stare.

“Sha, Heda.”  She replied, doing her best to keep her voice civil.    
  
That was when she noticed it.  The silence was too loud.  When no one was talking, it was deafening.  Something had scared off the birds.  Her hand crept towards her knife ever so slightly, no one would notice unless they paid intense attention to her.  

The only reason there would be no birds was if someone was in the trees.  Any scouts or guards of the village would announce themselves instantly upon seeing The Commander.  It had to be a hostile. 

Her hand was now resting on the hilt of one of her once again poisoned daggers and she had entered a hyper vigilant mode.  The blood running through her veins felt ice cold, bringing everything to a level of clarity as adrenaline rushed through her veins.  It always happened before a battle, some said they felt a rush of heat or intense fire in a fight but Clarke always felt cold.  Each move precise and calculated.  That was what saved her when the arrow came whizzing at her head.

She barely had time to step to the side when she heard the string loosing and saw the metal head coming towards her face.  She heard the thunk of metal on flesh and a pained sound and didn’t bother turning to see who it hit.  The dead would be mourned after the battle.  She saw four warriors drop from the trees, clearly clanless by the state of their weapons armour and clear lacking of any symbols or colours in their armour.  Clarke was off in a shot, her left hand already throwing one of her daggers into the chest of one of the attackers.  She heard people around her drawing swords and shouting in equal surprise and anger.  

The blonde ran forwards, past Octavia who was grasping her machete looking at Clarke for leadership.  Other bandits were dropping around them and arrows were still being shot from the trees but Clarke focused on the three remaining of the originals who’d dropped.  Before she knew it, she was in the middle of them, clutching two daggers in her hands.  The rogues around her clutching swords all began advancing at once.  Two swung their swords while the other went behind Clarke where the downed bandit lay.  

She rolled under the two swings, leaving her between the helpless bandits, their sides clearly exposed.  She slashed her daggers along their sides and stabbed the sharp blades clearly through their spines from where she kneeled on the floor.  

This was where she reigned.  Where she  _ Commanded. _  After all, one did not obtain the name Wanheda by being merciful.  Sparring was always difficult for Clarke who had been trained to go solely for killing blows.  Not being able to sink her blade deep into the flesh of her opponent always capped her abilities.  But when she was here, on the battlefield, fighting for her life, she didn’t need to hold back.  Those who stood to strike her down would be slaughtered as the hundreds before them had been.  

Quickly pulling the knives out of their backs as they fell forwards she turned to face the final bandit she was facing, as well as the rest of her group and the enemies.  Anya and Raven were fighting side by side against four heavily armed bandits and she could tell they’d been hiding on the ground not in the trees just by how heavy their armour appeared.  The others, including Octavia had grouped around the Commander and were fighting off the bulk of the bandit group.  She let out a growl when she saw Octavia struggling with the two women attacking her.  She sheathed her right handed knife and advanced on the remaining bandit in front of her.  She could see the fear in his eyes.  He was quite young, he could have been a good warrior with the proper training, she could tell by the way he held his weapon and himself.  It was unfortunate that he lived the life he did.

Despite that, she felt no pity for the boy as she shoved away his careless strike with her own blade and put said blade firmly inside of his stomach.  He gasped and dropped his sword, his hands dropping to the blade in his gut.  

“Please-”  He gasped out, his voice laced with horror.  She continued to stare at him as blood leaked from his open mouth and she gripped his head firmly, giving it a sharp jerk.  The cracking bones was a sound she was more familiar with than her own name.  His corpse fell to the floor with a clank as his armour shuffled against the ground.  She didn’t spare him a second glance as she walked past him at a brisk pace, drawing two new daggers and throwing them into the unarmoured necks of the women assaulting Octavia.  She’d spent weeks practising to throw two knives at once, knowing the skill had to be useful at some point.  The brunette looked up at her with wide eyes as Clarke stalked forward.  The clashing of swords was a distant sound as she searched for more threats.  The metallic tang of blood was all she could smell, all she could  _ taste _ .  It must have somehow gotten inside her mouth.  She was sure Nathan would have made a comment about her truly being bloodthirsty and the others would tease her with him.  That could only happen if she survived though, so she continued to look around for a threat.

When she saw a bow trained on the Commander from a tree and she let out a couple of curses in trigedasleng.  It crossed her mind as she dived for the fierce looking girl that if she let the bandit’s arrow hit the Commander her target would be eliminated and she would return ‘Home’.  But if that happened she would most likely never see the Skaikru children again.  So, she didn’t correct her course and she slammed into the Commander.  Knocking the girl to the ground just as the arrow slammed into the dirt a few feet behind the Commander.  The arrow would clearly have pierced through her chest.  The girl under her looked bewildered for a moment, her brow furrowing and her mouth opening in slight shock.  The two girls seemed to notice at the exact same moment that Clarke was practically lying on the girl. 

Neither of them blushed but Clarke did feel a small embarrassment.  That was right up until the moment she felt hands gripping at the back of her shirt and her hair and yanked her off the Commander.  She just barely landed on her feet and straightened herself before she felt a sword poking into the underside of her mouth.  She realized then that the sounds of metal on metal had ceased.  The bandits had been slain.  So who had the sword to her throat?

She followed the blade up to the arm and saw Gustus standing there, his expression one of pure rage as blood dripped from a gash on his forehead.

“Though you would take advantage of the fighting to kill Heda, Eh?”  He asked, his voice hard as he pressed the blade harder into her neck.  Clarke felt the blade cut into the soft skin and she didn’t so much as flinch as blood began slowly trailing down the blade and onto her booted feet.  Octavia let out a cry of rage,

“Get off her!”  She snarled, stepping towards Gustus to push him but Raven caught her by the waist and held her back, her expression stormy and uncertain.

“Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn’t kill you right now!”  He bellowed, forcing his blade slightly deeper into the skin.  Clarke took a sharp breath at the feeling of the blade beginning to cut deeper into her.  She simply lifted her head slightly in a show of defiance.  She wouldn’t allow herself to die begging to a man too stupid to realize she wasn’t trying to kill the Commander.  

_ Well I am, just not now. _  She mused bitterly to herself. 

Finally, Kato helped the Commander up and the woman stepped forwards, pushing Gustus’ blade down.

“Em pleni, Gostos, em kep ai sonrau au!”  She snapped, pointing at the arrow in the ground.  Gustus looked between the arrow and Clarke and had the audacity to look slightly sheepish.  

“Will you stop assuming that I am trying to kill the Commander now, you overgrown guard dog?”  She snarled at the man who bristled in response.  It was Raven’s laughter that cut the tension ever so slightly.  

“That’s good, Clarke I’ve actually never heard that one before.”  She was grinning, despite the dozens of bodies littering the ground around them and all Clarke could manage was an exasperated sigh.  

It was then that Indra came running into sight with two warriors.

“Heda what happened we heard shouti-”  She stopped speaking as she saw the bodies on the ground around them and snapped her mouth shut.

“Perhaps having the Commander in the scouting group was not the best idea?”  Clarke asked, calm despite the stinging pain she felt just above her neck.  The woman glared at Clarke, 

“I am more than capable of defending myself, Wanheda.”  She replied, her voice cold though there was a hint of something else in it.  It seemed positive enough, she smirked and raised a brow.

“One capable archer says otherwise,” She nodded at the arrow in the ground, continuing to smirk.  The two women ignored those around them who continued to gape in surprise, the surprise mainly being that the Commander had yet to strike Clarke down for the insult.  

“Yet I am sure that in a fight I would be the one left standing,”  She shot back, her tone not angry but… teasing?  No that couldn’t be right.  Surely the stoic Commander did not tease.  Finally Raven stepped into their banter,

“As much as I would love to see that death match, we should probably get to the village incase there are more bandits,”  The mechanic suggested.  Lexa cleared her throat and Clarke looked away, nodding slightly as they made their way around, collecting what things they needed.  She saw Kato helping Kodlak take an Arrow out of his thigh as she collected her daggers from the corpses on the ground.  It didn’t look like it’d hit any arteries which was good.  It would just be hard to walk on for a decent amount of time.  Nothing a warrior couldn’t handle.  

As the adrenaline of battle ebbed further and further away until it was gone, Clarke found herself feeling more and more ready for the execution and the burning to pass.  She really did need a good night’s sleep without worrying that an invader would find their way into her camp.  A village was a perfect place for that.  

 

__________

  
  


Lexa stood shoulder to shoulder with Clarke as the blonde glared on at the tall man tied to a post in front of them.  He was a pitiful sight, his face still bloody, bruised and broken from the assassin’s strong blows.  Wanheda’s breathing had begun to grow labored, as if standing here without hurting the man was physically exerting her.  Lexa took a breath and looked at the people around her.   _ Her people. _  It was time to start the execution.  

“Penn kom Trikru!” She bellowed, the hushed voices around her instantly ceased.  Even the Skaikru knew to be quiet when Heda was speaking, “For crimes against a child you have been punished to death by 1000 cuts.”  She spoke in a cold tone, she had no lost feelings for the fool tied up before her.  Killing a child was a horrible crime.  Especially an untrained one.  She wasn’t even a Seken.  Lexa grit her teeth and nodded to Clarke,

“You may begin, Wanheda.”  The blonde glanced at her and with a respectful bowing of the head -perhaps the most genuine one yet- Clarke pulled out a wicked looking knife from a sheath in her boot and walked slowly towards the man who stood stoically tall despite his injuries.  From where she stood in front of the man she placed her blade in the flesh of his shoulder, making him hiss.  As she dragged the blade across his chest -not deep but just enough to spill blood, enough to have needed stitches if he would have been allowed to survive the process- she spoke in a low dangerous voice, 

“You are a lucky man, Penn kom Trikru, if you committed the crime you did in Azgeda lands, you would have been flayed alive.”  She nearly whispered it yet it reached Lexa’s ears perfectly.  Her hands clenched tightly at the mention of the execution method Azgeda was so fond of, “You’re lucky because your body would have been fed to our hounds so that your spirit may never leave the earth.”  She whispered it near his ear as she pulled the blade away and wiped it on her sleeve before sheathing it.  Penn growled and pulled against his restraints to reach the Azgeda girl but stopped when he no doubt felt the pain from his wound being stretched and moved,

“Azgeda savage!”  He shot back in an angry voice.  Clarke merely gave him a savage sort of smile in response though, 

“Jus drein just daun.”  She said simply before nodding at Dax and returning to Lexa’s side.  Lexa turned her head towards the girl and tilted it slightly, 

“Has your urge for revenge against Penn been sated, Wanheda?”  Lexa murmured the question, not wanting others to hear.  The girl turned to look at her, her eyes alight with many expressions.  Curiosity, grief, anger… There was so much else she couldn’t read in the assassin’s blue eyes.  The girl’s eyes flitted to the ground before returning to The Commander’s own.

“No,”  Was all she said before turning her attention back on the murderer where a boy named Miles brought the knife wickedly across Penn’s inner bicep.  

Lexa nodded in response, she suspected as much.  

 

__________

  
  


Clarke still stood shoulder to shoulder with The Commander as the last of the pyre’s embers began to die out.  The crowd had begun to disperse, a few Skaikru and Trikru remained to mourn their losses.  Clarke was unsure why Lexa had stayed.  She wouldn’t ask of course, it would be an incredibly rude thing to do.  It was Lexa’s voice that startled her out of her thoughts,

“I lost someone special to me too,”  She began, her voice carefully even as she looked at the pile of smouldering ashes on the ground, “Her name was Costia.”

Clarke tensed instantly, her breath hitched in a way that made it feel as if a hook had snagged at her lungs and someone had yanked on it.  She struggled to keep herself calm and looked over at the girl who was spilling her heart to Clarke,

“She was captured by the Ice Nation, Queen Nia believed she knew my secrets,”  Her voice was low, she sounded as if she were holding back a wave of emotions, “Because she was mine, they tortured her,”  Clarke knew all too well that Costia had been tortured she’d been forced to watch as Ontari performed endless horrific acts on the girl who trusted her, the girl who had been her only friend in all her time on earth, “Killed her and cut off her head,”  Clarke held back a sob when she heard the words, that was news to her, after the first week of Costia’s torture she had been moved back to her room, which at the time had been a small prison cell.

“I’m sorry,” Clarke croaked out, not able to look the girl in the eyes, she looked down at the ground,

“I thought I’d never get over the pain,”  Lexa admitted softly, “But I did.”  Lexa swallowed hard, keeping her gaze glued on the floor as Clarke did,

“How?”  Clarke asked, her voice so close to breaking, she felt the cracks in her throat.  She would never get over the pain of doing what she did to Costia, she doubted she’d ever fully get over Charlotte’s death either.  Both were her fault.  Both were things she could have prevented.  

“By recognizing it for what it is,” The two girls looked at each other in unison, “Weakness,”

“What is, love?”

A nod, 

“So you just stopped caring?  About everyone?”  Lexa gave a deep nod and looked away,

“I wish I could do that, I wish my brain were able to ignore that side of myself completely.  It would make everything so much more simple,”  She whispered the words, 

“You should find a way to do so,”  Lexa looked at Clarke, her chest heaving slightly as if the breaths she took in didn’t supply enough oxygen to her, “The dead are gone Clarke, the living are hungry.”  Clarke gave a nod and turned to stare back at Charlotte and her murderer’s ashes.  Lexa looked at her for another moment before turning and walking away, leaving Clarke to stew in her festering emotions.

 

__________

 

Translations

Chit kaumauen? = What happened?  


Chomoudo yu don Penn? = What did you do to Penn?

Gon natronanes! = That's treason!

Goufa = Child

Bandrona = Chief

Skaigoufa = Child of Skaikru

Sha, Heda = Yes, Commander

Em pleni, Gostos, em kep ai saunrau au! = Enough, Gustus, she saved my life!

Jus drein jus daun = Blood must have blood

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review!
> 
> More on Costia next chapter ;)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anya and Clarke argue, Raven and Clarke bond, and Clexa... well... it's interesting to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bit of difficult writing this chapter, I did not enjoy writing certain scenes but they needed to be done. Just keep in mind when you read this, Clexa WILL be end game for this fic. I promise. Just trust me. 
> 
> Trigger warning: Suicidal thoughts, mentions of intense violence and gore.

_ “Klark, you will take this knife and cut the tri-scum!”  Ontari snarled, whipping the back of her hand viciously across Clarke’s face.  Clarke tasted blood in her mouth and spat at Ontari’s shoes, she couldn’t bring herself to look at Costia who was tied to a pillar next to Ontari, covered in bruises and cuts amongst other injuries.   _

_ “Go float yourself, Ontari.”  She replied, not letting her voice waver as she straightened her back, refusing to submit to the girl’s evil wishes.  The shorter brunette girl let out a growl and brought the blade harshly down along Costia’s side, opening a new wound.  Clarke’s hand clenched again, digging into flesh of her hand where a cut was already formed due to the amount of times she’d buried her nails inside herself while forced to watch Costia be tortured.   _

_ “You will do as I say or she will die!”  The brunette took a step towards Clarke so that their faces were inches apart, Ontari was offering Clarke her knife.  The thought that she should take the knife and try to kill Ontari had passed through her mind countless times but she knew it was pointless.  Ontari had been raised by Nia for most her life, she was trained in the harshest of settings with the harshest methods, all Clarke had was a few months fighting mediocre warriors and minimal training from Nia.  Ontari would gut her in seconds.   _

_ “I will not hurt her.”  Clarke whispered in response, her voice firm despite the lack of volume.   _

_ Ontari let out an exasperated sigh and stepped back every so slightly,  _

_ “Skai girl it is true I do not like you, in fact I would enjoy killing you,”  Ontari began, making Clarke roll her eyes.  She’d heard this all before, “Yet when I am Commander-”  At those words Costia snarled and thrashed against her bonds, pure rage in her eyes.  Ontari glanced at her and delivered a savage punch to the side of the darker girl’s head.  She took the hit without much noise besides a quiet groan and stayed still, Ontari huffed in savage contentment, “-When I am Commander,”  She continued, giving Costia a pointed look, “You would be of great use to me, think of it Klark, Ice nation’s Commander and her assassin, all those below us would bow in fear!  We are alike!  You need just to rid yourself of the weakness in your heart.  To let your decisions be dictated by emotions is to die!”  Ontari snarled, the moment of subtle friendship towards Clarke gone, replaced by the hardened girl who’d taken pleasure in torturing the blonde.   _

_ “That’s the thing, Ontari,” Clarke began, “I may have become a monster, but my decisions and my actions will haunt me forever, they are what keep me tied to the last shred of humanity I have left.  Because I feel remorse for my actions, I can never- I  _ will _ never be like you.”  Ontari’s cruel smirk shifted into an ugly expression of anger and she slammed her head into Clarke’s.  The blonde heard her nose cracking, felt the resulting spray of blood on her lips and on her neck.  She stumbled back and felt a fist slam into the side of her head.  Her world tilted sideways and she realized that was because Ontari had swept her feet out from under her.  Her head hit the cold stone of the dungeon floor and she was sure that her head was cracked open.   _

_ When felt a hard pressure on her chest she opened her eyes and saw Ontari kneeling on her, her knee pressing into Clarke’s chest and a knife at her throat.   _

_ “Give me one reason not to kill you, Sky girl.”  Ontari snarled, spittle flying from her lips and onto Clarke’s bruised and bleeding face. _

_ Clarke felt the vibrations of a laugh in her chest and realized it was her making the noise, it seemed fitting.   _

_ “Do it,”  She wheezed out, she was starting to have difficulty breathing from the weight of Ontari’s body, “Please, kill me.”  She panted out, realizing her laughing had quickly turned into dry sobs.  Never before had she wanted to die so much.  Not after her father died.  Not after she realized she’d probably never see her mother again.  Not even after she took her first human life in cold blood.  But now.  With a knife pressed to her throat, a former friend tied up and tortured by ‘Allies’ and nowhere else to go.  Ontari’s eyes lit up with satisfaction and she rose to her feet, _

_ “You have given me my reason, Klark kom Azgeda.  Now get up, you  _ will _ cut the Trikru before you leave this room.” _

  
  
  


Clarke’s eyes shot open and she was met with the view of the fabric of her tent.  Quickly she sat up, checking her surroundings as she grabbed her knife from the ground beside her.  When she had confirmed for herself no one was present, she took a breath and threw herself back down into her furs.  

It had been ages since she’d dreamed of her time in the dungeons with Costia so vividly.  She clenched her eyes shut as tears began welling up in her eyes and slammed her fist into the hard backed dirt beneath her.  A frustrated growl tore from her throat as she sniffed violently.  

She must truly be a sight.  Azgeda’s assassin, Nia’s pet, turned into a sobbing child.  She thought back to the time shortly after her dream when Ontari had left her with dirty rags and stone cold water to clean Costia’s wounds.

  
  
  


_ It wasn’t ideal, of course it wasn’t, but if she didn’t clean the jagged cuts they would grow infected quickly. _

_ “I’m so sorry…” She mumbled for what felt like the hundredth time as she gently dabbed the cold, wet cloth against the edges of a long cut that went from Costia’s temple to her jaw. _

_ Costia winced in pain and let out a hiss at the contact.  Clarke wasn’t expecting a response the first time she said it and certainly wasn’t expecting one now but she got it. _

_ “Why did you do it?”  The broken girl croaked, her voice rough from days of screaming.  Clarke looked up at the girl, tears welling in her eyes. _

_ “I-”  She closed her mouth, why had she done it?  Why take Costia all the way to Azgeda’s borders only to try and save her there.  Why?  “Because I am a coward.”  She said after a moment of thinking, her voice surprisingly steady, “I was too scared to stay with you in Trikru.  The scars on my face and the brands along my body curse me as hers.”  She muttered, looking down in shame. _

_ “We could have protected you,”  Costia mumbled, “You would have been safe with us.”  She didn’t sound angry anymore, simply tired.  An aching bone tired that Clarke had felt since the moment she woke up in Nia’s dungeons when she first landed.  _

_ “She wouldn’t have stopped looking for me,” Clarke murmured in response, dipping the bloody cloth in the cold water to rinse it. _

_ “And what makes you so special?”  Costia snarled, her anger breaking through.   _

_ “I’m from the sky,”  She muttered in response, “I’m special to her.  She took me as her Seken, it’s supposed to be an honour to be the Seken of a king or queen.  She’d have me hunted and killed just for the insult of running away.”  Costia was looking at her as if she were a ghost, _

_ “Wait- you’re from the sky?”  Costia asked, her face surprisingly pale.  Clarke nearly chuckled at how comical the look was, _

_ “Yes, I come from a place called the Ark.”  She responded, _

_ “I- I know.  You were the first fallen-”  Clarke’s brow furrowed and she went to respond,  _

What did she mean the first?

_ She never got the time to ask the question though, because the door to the dungeon was bursting open and Nia came strolling in with Ontari behind her, the two were followed by some of Nia’s guards.  _

_ “I have decided that Costia shall be killed by the people of my city in Trikru customs, death by a thousand cuts.”  Nia said with a smirk, “It is fitting isn’t it?  The Tri-girl killed by Trikru methods.  Klark, are you sure you would not like a cut on the girl?  I will reward you.”  The Queen continued.  Clarke looked at Costia.  The girl was glaring at Nia in defiance, still brave in the face of death. _

_ “She will never use my death to start a war, her duty to her people is her highest duty.  I will tell you nothing.  My death will do nothing.”  Costia snarled at Nia, her face full of hatred and rage, “Hofli oyo niron ge choj op kom pakstoka ona yo blinka.”  Costia snarled the familiar grounder expression to the Queen and Nia’s lip curled up in a snarl.  She glanced to Clarke,  _

_ “Decide Seken, cut her or be punished.”  Nia said in a curt voice, holding out a knife to Clarke.  Clarke glanced between Costia and Nia and made up her mind. _

_ She took the knife from Nia’s hand and drew in a sharp breath through her nose, ignoring the noise of glee Ontari let out and the cruel smirk Nia had on her face.  She turned to Costia, the short knife was in her hand, the girl was looking her in the eyes, chin raised despite the wounds that had been inflicted upon her.  _

_ “Do it,” She snarled, Clarke flinched back at the harshness in her voice. _

_ “I will not let your death be used as a tool to make the people of Azgeda fear Nia's wrath.  I will not let you be used.”  Clarke murmured, stepping forward.  It was clear the women behind her had heard because there was shuffling and drawing of a blade.  The blonde didn’t give them time to do anything though.  She stepped close to Costia and slid the blade into Costia’s heart.  The woman let out a choked breath and let her head fall against Clarke’s shoulder. _

_ “Thank you…”  She murmured into Clarke’s ear.  Clarke nodded in response, tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled the dagger out of the girl’s chest.  Ontari let out a roar of anger and pulled a limp Clarke away from Costia’s body.  She threw the blonde to the floor and stomped on her ribs.  Clarke groaned, unsure whether her ribs had punctured her lungs.  If they had, she was done for. _

_ “INSOLENT BITCH!”  Ontari snarled, stomping again.  Clarke heard the sound of snapping ribs before Nia raised her hand, signalling for Ontari to stop. _

_ “Enough, Ontari.  Take Costia’s head and leave my Seken.  I will send someone back to check on her once we get the Commander’s reaction.  If she is still alive, we will punish her.  If she isn’t”  She paused before chuckling, “Well, she’ll be dead.”  Clarke heard all this through a ringing, her already injured head was in pain again.  All her injuries brought back, the pain of the first cuts she receive on the ground.  Countless broken bones, blood, the sizzling of skin as brands were sealed into her and she sealed her wounds.  She felt it all in that moment.  She felt it as she drifted into unconsciousness. _

  
  
  
  


Clarke took a ragged breath as she wiped at her eyes, expelling the last of the memories.  She walked over to the bowl of water by her bed side and splashed it on her face.  She remembered waking up after the unconsciousness.  She remembered the rotten smell of the curdled blood and the tangy smell of the her vomit after she’d seen Costia’s body.  She remembered the pain she’d felt with her every move as her ribs shuffled in her chest.  

Those wounds, that time, that was her lowest.  That was when she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to survive anymore.  That was when she debated simply taking one of the boning knives from the tables besides her and cutting her life out.  

It had been a dark time. 

She raised to her feet and began braiding her hair.  It was a mechanical motion, it’d been a long time since someone had done it for her.  After, in Azgeda it was learn of die.  

The brains were tight against the right side of her head, making it look shaved where the braids were clinging to her skull.  On the left side of her head she let her hair flow except for the braids keeping it out of her face.  It was a look she hadn’t worn since her time at the border war.  She wasn’t sure why she wore it like she did.  It seemed fitting though, she to remind her of the time before she was tainted by Nia’s teachings.  She slid her daggers into their sheaths and walked out of her tent into the sleeping village of TonDC.  The sun was just beginning to rise and the sun was a pinkish colour.  Clarke heard grunting and sounds of metal on wood from the designated training area of the village.  She made her way towards the pits and saw Anya slashing and hacking at a training dummy.

Clarke leaned against a wood pillar as she watched the woman train, ducking and slashing at the lifeless target.  After a few moments she spun and glared at Clarke, 

“What do you want sky girl?”  She asked, her voice edging on exasperation, 

“I think I prefered, when you called me ‘Azgeda’.”  Clarke shot back, no real edge to her jibe.  Anya rolled her eyes at her,

“And why is that?  Are you not of the sky people?  You were born to them, now you lead them.”  Anya raised a brow at her, tilting her head slightly, “You were ready to take the punishment of defying the Commander when the goufa died to Penn.”  Clarke clenched her jaw at that, “So why do you not consider yourself one of them?”  She questioned, stepping closer to Clarke, her short sword held loosely at her side.  

“Because I have the brands of Azgeda.  I have fought and spilt blood for Azgeda.  My first kill was made defending an Azgeda village.  They are my people.”  Anya snorted,

“Yet they are also the people who tortured you,”  Clarke brow furrowed and she opened her mouth but Anya cut her off, “Do not try to deny it.  The scars on your arms and neck alone are clearly not fighting scars.  I know torture when I see it, Clarke.”  Her voice was surprisingly soft.  Clarke tensed her jaw and tilted her head up,

“That was Nia, not the people of Azgeda.”  Clarke snapped in response.  Anya scoffed,

“What is the difference?”  She replied.  Anger reeled up in Clarke,

“What’s the difference?” She repeated incredulously, “The difference is that Nia would gladly have an entire village pillaged for the crimes of one, where the villagers would defend even the criminal against the queen’s gona.”  She snarled in response.  Anya simple scoffed again, and went back to hacking at the dummy with her sword,

“The fact that Azgonas would comply to such an order says enough to me, Clarke.”  Anya said,

Clarke clenched her teeth,

“Anya, do you know what the punishment for disobeying a direct order from the queen is?”  She asked, doing her best to keep her voice calm.  Anya shrugged,

“I imagine it is a more severe whipping than Trikru would give,”  She responded.  Clarke chuckled bitterly,

“No, only Nia’s favoured get whipped as a punishment.  That is seen as a mercy.”  She snapped.  At that, Anya turned to look at her, “The punishment for disobeying the ice queen is dismemberment then burning.”  Anya’s mouth was slightly agape in shock, “Yes, let me explain it.  Incase you didn’t understand that we have little to no choice to comply to the orders,”  She snarled, stepping closer to Anya.  The older girl in front of her seemed to startled to notice she took a step away from Clarke’s threatening advances, “She has her executioner cut their arms off first, cauterizing the wounds immediately of course -not that they’ll be alive long enough for it to matter-.  Then he does the same with the legs.”  She stepped closer to Anya once again, the girl stepped back again, almost burning under the fury in Clarke’s eyes, “If they have not died from shock or from pain at that point, he takes the useless form of a once able bodied gona, who is still alive!”  She snarled her voice rising in volume, “And he burns them alive.  But he doesn’t let their body burn to ashes.  They take the burn, crispy corps and they bury them.  Six feet under, just like in the old world.”  She yelled, Anya looked horrified, 

“What of their spirit?  How does it move on?”  She demanded, her mouth still slightly agape in horror,

“It doesn’t!  That’s the point, Anya!  That’s Nia’s final cruelty to them!  That is why no gona of Nia’s disobey.  Not to mention the fact that she will most likely have their family killed the same way.  So perhaps yes, some gona share Nia’s glee for murder and causing pain.  I have met them.  But most of them are just trying to keep their family safe.”  She growled.  Anya looked shocked, her sword having long ago been dropped to the ground,  “What, this the first description you’ve heard of Azgeda executions?”  She snapped before turning.  She began storming away, towards the forest.  The sun wasn’t even fully up and the day had already been far too long.  

Once she was a good hundred meters of so into the forest and she couldn’t see TonDC she let out a cry of rage and slammed her fist into a tree trunk.  

The pain cleared her head momentarily and she took a shuddering breath, trying to calm herself down.  She turned and leaned against the same tree and slid down, letting her head drop into her knees.

 

__________

  
  


Raven walked through the forest until she found Clarke and leaned against a tree a few feet in front of her.  Clarke looked up,

“We really must stop doing this,”  Clarke said, her lips quirked up slightly despite the bags under her eyes, “What would Anya think?”  She asked, her tone mocking.  Raven rolled her eyes and sat down in front of the girl, 

“Sorry my girlfriend pissed you off,”  Raven said, “She tends to get in her own way when she wants answers.  Gets angry before she can listen to the person she’s questioning.” She shrugged and gave Clarke a weak smile.  Clarke sighed and rubbed at her face, looking much older than any girl her age should.  

“It’s alright, I lost my temper.  Probably shouldn’t have talked about what I did.”  Clarke admitted, not quite looking at Raven.  The brunette raised a brow, 

“And what did you talk about?”

“Execution methods in Azgeda.”  Clarke replied.  Raven let out a sharp laugh, 

“Of course you did.”  Raven said with a shake of her head.  She ran a hand through her hair which hadn’t been braided, instead she chose the keep it down.  

She looked back at Clarke when the girl spoke, “How long have I been down here?  How long have  _ you _ been down here?”  The girl questioned, sounding genuinely curious, “I really don’t know how long I was in Nia’s chambers when I first arrived, or how long I was fighting the Plain riders during the border war.  It all sort of blurred together.”  She looked up at Clarke, meeting the girl’s eyes.  She couldn’t help the ache she felt for the blonde girl.  While Raven had met the girl she’d loved and became one of the Commander’s friends, lived in luxury, Clarke had fought for her life.  Been tortured.  Turned into a killer.  She frowned and looked down for a moment before looking up,

“About a year and two months.  Maybe a bit more than that,”  Clarke chuckled at that and ripped some grass from the ground, twirling it between her fingers.  

“I guess I’m eighteen then,”  The assassin let out a dry chuckled and Raven chuckled in response.

The two girls sat in a comfortable silence, Clarke playing with the grass in front of her and Raven fiddling with a mechanism,

Finally, Clarke spoke, “Is that for the radio?”  Raven looked up at the blonde, setting the part down on her leg, “I figured that since the drop ship had the parts you’d need that you would start making the radio we talked about to contact the Ark?”  Clarke raised a brow at her and Raven chuckled,

“Yeah, it’s actually almost done.  I just can’t get enough range to contact the Ark.  To contact anything for that matter.”  She shrugged and Clarke nodded,

“Let me know if there’s anyway me or Skaikru can help,”  Raven cocked a brow at that,

“Am I not Skaikru?” She asked, Clarke tilted her head,

“You wear the bonding marks of Trikru, the tattoo that signifies you as one of Heda’s inner circle, you wear Trikru clothes and Trikru braids adorn your hair.”  Raven let out a chuckle,

“Yeah, I guess despite the fact that I go as Skaikru I’m more Trikru than anything,”  There was silence for a moment, “You don’t speak like you’re from the sky very often, using sophisticated words, you really do sound like you’re from the ground,”  Clarke nodded,

“Nia didn’t want people knowing I was from the sky, she thought the Commander would have me brought to Polis,”  The blonde let out a bitter laugh, “If only,”  Raven raised a brow, 

“You’re very different from the ice blooded girl I thought you were when we first met,” Raven admitted, 

“I put up walls, Azgeda has spies everywhere, if anyone heard me saying what I just said, Nia would most likely take my tongue then make a joke about how it would help me as an assassin.”  Raven stared at Clarke in shock, she knew Nia was cruel, but she figured that she was nicer to her higher ups.  

“I’m sorry,”  Raven said, continuing when she saw Clarke’s curious expression, “I got to live peacefully in a small Trikru village then befriended the Commander.  And you… you got tortured and turned into a killer.  So I’m sorry,”  She finished, Clarke ducked her head and nodded ever so slightly,

“It isn’t your fault,”  The blonde abruptly stood, “I’m going to go wake Dax up, I need to blow off some steam.”  Raven nodded in acceptance and went back to playing with the machinery in her hand.  

 

__________

  
  


Lexa looked up through the canopy of  trees at the late afternoon sun and allowed herself a small smile.  It was sunny and there was a nice breeze, perhaps it was strange that she was going for a walk, she  _ was _ the Commander after all.  She simply love the forest though.  It reminded her of her childhood.  

Her two guards stood about ten feet behind her, it was as far as they’d go without protesting that they shouldn’t be too far.  She took in a breath of the fresh air and continued to walk through the peaceful forest, she was about 20 minutes away from TonDC and the village’s noises could no longer be heard.  She tensed when she heard the snapping of a branch and the clumsily loud footfall that could only be a Skaikru.  She turned and looked at the intruder on her time and her hand was instantly reaching for her sword when she saw the boy, Bellamy, who had been leading the force that seemed to feel so strongly against her people.  

His face was a mask of madness and insanity as he raised his gun, pulling back a part of the gun and making it let out a loud clicking noise.  Behind her her guards were running forwards to protect her and her eyes widened.  She drew her arm back to throw her sword at him before he could shoot her but stopped when and form dropped from a tree above him, dropping onto him and making the gun go flying away from him onto the ground.  

The hooded figure raised her head, a smirk on her face. 

Clarke,

The blonde got up off the man’s back and nudged him, checking to see if he was unconscious.  After a moment she nodded to herself and drew her hood back, 

“Commander it seems like you’ve made a habit of being saved by me,”  The blonde smirked at her and Lexa tried to pin the fast beating of her heart down on the adrenaline shooting through her system.

“Were you following me, Clarke?”  She asked, trying to control her breathing.  The blonde shrugged and knelt down beside the boy’s body, tying his hands together behind his back.

“I had nothing to do and I figured you could use the extra protection,”  The blonde gestured at one of Lexa’s guards to grab Bellamy.  The gona looked at Lexa who nodded and he went forwards, grabbed the unconscious Skaikru and threw onto his shoulder, “It seems I was right, he would have shot you before your sword even left your hand.”  The smug grin on Clarke’s face made her want to roll her eyes, a childish act completely unbefitting of the Commander.  

“Gona, take the Skai boy back to Trikru so he may await his punishment.  I wish to speak with Wanheda.”  The guard carrying Bellamy nodded and turned, making his way back to the village.  The other guard returned to his position, a dutiful ten feet behind them.  The two started walking again.  Lexa sheathed her sword. 

“If Titus heard you speaking to me like that he’d tell me to have you whipped,”  Lexa said casually, Clarke chuckled in response,

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s done that for the same reason,” Lexa wasn’t sure whether she should laugh in response to the statement.  Clarke seemed relaxed and at ease though, so she let out a huff of laughter through her nose, “Would you take his suggestion?”  The blonde questioned.  The question caught Lexa slightly off guard and she frowned for a moment before letting the smallest hints of a smile grace her lips,

“No,”  The blonde looked over at her, her look slightly surprised.  She opened her mouth to speak but a loud roaring cut her off.  Lexa’s eyes widened and she looked around, her head spinning violently, 

“Pauna-”  The giant Pauna smashed through the trees beside them and let out an earth shattering roar.  They stumbled and Lexa grabbed Clarke, “RUN!”  Was all she had time to shout out before the giant monster’s fisted hand was descending on them.  

The two girls took off.  

Clarke was matching her pace, Lexa heard the ripping of flesh behind her and let the loss of her guard hit her for a moment before she was fully focused once again. 

Clarke pulled back a grate on the side of a hill and climbed through the small tunnel.  Lexa followed and when she got out she looked around,

“What is this?” The blonde asked.  Lexa took a deep breath,

“This is her feeding ground.”  Clarke nodded at her and the two climbed higher up the rock they were on.  Lexa drew her sword and Clarke pulled out her longest knife.  The pauna appeared in front of them, across the gap between the rock and the real ground.  It roared and jumped at them.  Clarke whipped her dagger at it, making it roar in pain and land badly, falling into the pit between the two ledges.  Clarke whipped a second dagger at it’s head, the dagger sinking firmly into it’s eye.  It roared and fell back, slightly dazed.  The two looked at each other for a moment before edging forward cautiously, looking over the edge.  

It was at that moment that the Pauna’s arm came up over the side, dragging it up, the dagger still firmly planted in it’s eyes.  

“Run!”  Clarke shouted.  The two girls ran through the feeding grounds until they stopped at a railing overlooking a 25 foot drop.  Clarke barely hesitated before she dropped over the edge and Lexa cursed the girl’s bravery.  Lexa looked back and quickly sheathed her sword before jumping over the railing.  When she landed she tumbled into a wall and let out a groan of pain that mingled with the sound of cracking coming from her arm.  Clarke looked back at her and swore, running back and grabbing the Lexa’s good arm.  The blonde half carried her as they made their way from the Pauna.  

The blonde slid through a hatch and Lexa stumbled in after her.  A sharp yanking at her leg had her falling backwards though.  

She yelped in alarm and reached out haphazardously, her hand grabbing onto a piece of metal.  Lexa kicked violently at the beast.

“Leave me!”  She commanded the blonde.  The girl showed no signs of listening to her though.  She ripped a dagger from her belt and whipped it at the Pauna’s already injured eye.  It recoiled and it’s grip loosened just enough for Lexa to rip her leg and and slip through the passageway.  

Clarke helped her through and kicked out the metal strut holding up the door.  It slid shut behind them.

Clarke continued to lead them through the spot and saw a metal door.  The blonde brought Lexa to the door and kicked it open with ease before walking through it with Lexa. 

The blonde sat her down and she let out groans of pain, gripping at her arm.  

In the back of her mind she registered Clarke taking her sword and using it to lock the door.  

Lexa groaned and glanced over at the assassin, breathing heavily.  

Clarke was beside her instantly, ripping a piece of her shirt off and telling her to stand up.  Lexa did so silently, 

“What are you going to do?”  She demanded, Clarke rolled her eyes in response, 

“I’m going to bind your arm so that you don’t make it worse.”  She answered, gently lifting Lexa’s arm.  Despite the softness of her touch, Lexa hissed in pain when she moved the injured appendage.  Clarke began to wrap the fabric around Lexa’s arm, making a quick cast. 

“You should have left me behind,”  Lexa said, a frown on her face, “Now two will die here instead of one,”  Her tone was harsh and she couldn’t help but feel irritated when Clarke chuckled,

“Yeah because that won’t look suspicious,”  The blonde started, “One of your guards dead, you dead, the last person you were seen with was me and I mysteriously survive.  Everyone will totally love that.”  She snapped, “Besides,” she continued, her voice less sharp, “You’re a lot more important than me.”  The blonde left her side and went to some bars on the other side of the room, pressing and pulling at them, looking for weakness,   
  
“I’m serious, Clarke, to lead well you must make hard choices,”  Lexa began, only to be cut off once again by Clarke.

“Hard choices?  You’re telling me that?”  Clarke demanded, her eyes telling a story of anger and past pain, Lexa couldn’t help but recognize the look, it was one she wore quite often,  “My life revolves around hard choices!”  She snarled, stepping towards Lexa, “Every decision I make is a hard choice!  Yet my decisions got the one person I cared about down here killed!  Excuse me for trying to save, at least  _ one  _ person!”  She snarled.  Lexa couldn’t help but frown, she knew the rumours;  Wanheda was a soulless person, she had no purpose except to serve the queen.  She made no friends.  She’d seen first hand that it wasn’t true but her spies told her enough to know that Wanheda had never had friends in Azgeda.

“Who got killed because of your choices, Clarke?” Lexa asked, her voice softer than normal.  After all, she knew first hand what it was like to lose someone you loved.     
  
The blonde seemed to have frozen though.

“I-” The girl’s breathing was picking up and Lexa’s brow furrowed, “Clarke, what happened the person you lost?”  She wouldn’t normally pry, she knew what it was like to want nothing more than to never talk about a person again but the expression on her face wasn’t just one of devastation, it was guilt.  The blonde took a shuddering breath before steeling herself,

“Nia made me watch as she was tortured, beat me when I refused to partake,”  Lexa had to strain her ears to hear the girl’s voice now, “Then she told me the girl would be publicly executed by excruciating means and gave me one last chance to hurt the girl,”  Lexa felt for the girl, the pain she must have felt, “So I took the knife and I stabbed her in the heart.  I gave her a quick private death, then the queen forced me to stay in the room with her headless corpse for days as it rotted.”  She finished, a sense of dread had washed over Lexa.  A thought popped into her head.  Was this why Clarke had reacted so dramatically to Lexa telling her of Costia.

“Clarke,”  She began, her voice so close to cracking, her throat felt as if it were swelling, “Was it- Was it Costia?”  Lexa looked up at the blonde who had tears welling in her eyes.  The girl gave her head a minute nod and Lexa shut her eyes, trying to regulate her own breathing.  Trying to stop the tears that threatened to spill.  After a few moments she took a final deep breath before opening her eyes,

“Thank you, Clarke, you gave her a good death.  That wasn’t the wrong decision, Clarke.”  Lexa murmured, reaching forward to place her uninjured hand on the blonde’s shoulder.  

The assassin shrugged her off quickly though,

“I do not deserve your thanks,”  Her voice was rough and Lexa’s brow furrowed.  Perhaps it hurt to know how Costia had died but she was glad it hadn’t been drawn out for days as it would most likely had been if Nia had her way.

“Why not?”  She questioned,

“Because I am the one that brought her to Nia,”  Clarke said quietly.  Lexa felt her entire body tense.  Every muscle in her body drew itself so tight that she would normally have been worried they’d snap.

“Tell me you’re lying, Clarke,”  She whispered, her voice dangerously quiet.  The girl simply looked away, tears pooling in her blue eyes.  Anger raged through every part of Lexa.

She raised her right arm and struck her.  Her knuckles coming down hard on Clarke’s temple.  The girl fell to her knees under the assault and stayed down, not even moving to defend herself.  Lexa let out a roar of anger and brought her steel toed boot up, connecting it with Clarke’s chin and sending the girl on to her back.  

She drew her dagger and knelt down on top of Clarke’s chest restricting her breathing, she wanted to press down, slash her dagger to the side, paint the walls with Clarke’s blood-

“Why shouldn’t I kill you,”  She asked, her voice quiet, her tone full of anger.  The blonde’s eyes full of self-resentment and tears.

“You should,” The blonde beneath her choked out, still not even trying to resist Lexa, “I’d deserve it too, I regret doing what I did to her more than all the deaths of my victims combined.  Because she was my friend.  I tricked her because I was too scared to run away with her.  Too scared to trust in Trikru to keep me safe.  Too scared of Nia’s retribution.  I tried to free her, it was too late though.  People always do tend to see reason too late.”  She finished, looking away and exposing her neck even more to Lexa’s knife.

Lexa growled and pressed the knife harder, ever so slightly.  Yet she couldn’t find it in herself to kill to weeping girl beneath her.  She should want to, to finally get the small amount of vengeance for Costia’s unfair death, to get revenge for all the pain that she had felt after Costia’s death.

Yet she couldn’t finish Clarke off.  She couldn’t kill her.  

She let out a frustrated snarl and quickly got up, throwing her knife off to the side, not quite caring about the fact that it might dull out on impact with the stone.  Clarke let out a noise of frustration from the floor,

“Why didn’t you do it?”  She sounded just as broken as Lexa felt.

“You only live to breath another day because of the mercy you gave Costia.  Because I know it will haunt you until the end of your days and you don’t deserve to escape from your ghosts yet, Wanheda.”  

Clarke stood up, the side of her head had a cut from where Lexa’s gloved fist had struck it.  She spat out a mouthful of blood that was no doubt there from when Lexa kicked her chin.

Lexa turned and took a deep breath.  That’s when she shaking started,

“It found us,”  Clarke swore and quickly shed her broken demeanor.  Lexa did the same and the two girls found their backs pressed against the same wall,

“Don’t be afraid, Clarke,”  Lexa said, despite the fear she felt thrumming through her system, quickly masking the anger, “Death is not the end,”  Clarke growled, 

“I am  _ not _ letting you die, not now,”  Lexa scoffed and grabbed her dagger from where it lay on the floor,

“Get ready to fight, it’s coming in,”  She said, stepping forwards, 

“No, we’re going to let it in,”  The blonde rushed ahead of her, “Come here,” Clarke waved Lexa over and she stood behind Clarke, against the wall, “Now!”  Clarke called out, ripping the sword away from the door.  When the Pauna slammed through the door and into the room Lexa followed Clarke out the door.

The blonde turned and locked the door behind them and they leaned against the wall for a moment, listening to the Pauan roar in rage.

“Come on, Clarke, we can’t stay here.”  She muttered pushed off the wall, ignoring the ache in her arm.  They needed to get back to the village before dark if they didn’t want to be overwhelmed by reapers and the sun was already nearing the time for setting.  The blonde looked at her and nodded,

“Lexa, I-”  The brunette simply kept walking though,

“There may be a day when I forgive you, Clarke.  Today is not that day so let it rest.”  Lexa said, her voice cold, not showing the emotions it begged to let shine.  To for once, not keep inside.  

She resisted it though, she couldn’t risk showing her weakness to a girl who was once again, a potential enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I really hope I did the Clexa talking about Costia scene justice. It was sorta difficult for me to write since, yes I can write Clarke and Lexa being hostile towards each other but this, this was just sorta emotionally draining. 
> 
> Also! I wanted to know what you guys want me to do with Bellamy, do you want me to write a redemption arch for him or just kill his ass, I'm gonna let you guys decide.
> 
> So I hope you guys enjoyed. Have an excellent night <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contact with the Ark is finally established.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been almost a month since I uploaded, I've been working almost everyday when I'm not at school and I got relocated a bit ago and life been kicking my ass. Anyhow, no more complaining! Enjoy the chapter!

Raven cursed when she felt a shock in her fingers and quickly let go of the wires in her hands. She was definitely a little rusty. Sure, she’d been provided with basic materials to make things like radios for Lexa and her trusted few but other than that, not much practice. So here she was, using the materials from the dropship and a wristband she’d found near the dropship to try and make a radio to contact the Ark.

She silently thanked the radios she’d made early on in her time with Lexa because last night after a few hours of worrying she’d heard Lexa’s voice crackling through.

  
  
  


_ “Raven… ome in… Raven come in…” Instantly her hand had snapped to the radio on her belt and brought it up to her mouth, _

_ “Lexa! Where the hell have you been?” She demanded, not quite caring how disrespectful she was being at the moment,  _

_ “Raven, chil yu au!” Lexa’s voice was finally coming through clearly and the brunette forced herself to breath, _

_ “Fine I’m calm! Where have you been? Anya is seconds away from putting a damn kill order out on Clarke,” There was silence for a moment and Raven’s brow furrowed, “Commander? You there?” _

_ “Yes, of course, calm Anya down. We will be back tomorrow morning, we had a run in with Pauna.” Raven’s eyes blew wide at the revelation. Pauna had nearly killed her when Trikru first found her. She’d been wary of that area of the woods since then. She sent a quick prayed to a god she wasn’t sure existed and went in search of Anya. _

  
  
  


Anya hadn’t been glad that Lexa was stuck alone with Clarke for the night but when they returned early the next day everyone’s tension dissipated, if only just a bit. After all, the decision of what would happen to Bellamy weighed deeply on certain Skaikru members. So now as she tried to build this radio, the 100 argued on the issue. As if they had any say in it. She tuned in for a moment, not looking at those arguing but letting their voices breach into her head as she worked,

“It isn’t right! We got revenge for what happened with Charlotte, he almost killed the Commander! He should be dealt with accordingly. He’s a threat to all of us! What if they decide that we aren’t worth the trouble and just kill us all because of Bellamy? I say he should die,” Miller’s voice shot out, making quite a few good points. She heard multiple voices agreeing with him. It was John Mbege who shouted back to Miller,

“But he didn’t kill the Commander! He doesn’t deserve to die! It’s not right, they should give him a chance!” The boy shouted in response, making Raven roll her eyes. As if there hadn’t already been a kill order on Bellamy. 

“On the Ark he would have been floated for even speaking threatening words to the Chancellor, never mind pointing a gun at him,” Monty said from beside her. He’d been helping her occasionally when she needed him, but truly, his skill was in chemicals and coding.  _ Raven  _ was the mechanic. Raven turned her head and gave him a small smile accompanied by a grateful nod. 

“I’m with Miller on this one,” Dax said, “Frankly, Bellamy deserves what’s coming to him.” He said, Raven assumed he shrugged after saying it. Dax tended to shrug a lot. Raven furrowed her brow and shook her head minutely, focusing back on the electronics in front of her. It was a boy whose voice she recognized as Glen speaking that made her furrow her brow.

“Worse than the damn savages,” He muttered. Once she realized what he’d said she was turning, her hands clenched around a piece of scrap metal tight enough to hurt. She opened her mouth to assault the boy verbally but Clarke beat her to it.

The blonde had been sitting a few feet away -with the group, yet excluded-, sharpening a shortsword,

“Is that so?” She drawled, standing up and resting her sword on the log she was sitting on. The boy seemed to physically recoil from the assassin but after a moment he decided to stand his ground. With a firm nod he puffed his chest out with an amount of self-righteousness that only a teenage-boy with an ego bigger than Einstein’s IQ could manage. Raven could practically  _ hear _ Clarke rolling her eyes from where she stood. Despite the blonde’s loose stance, tension was definitely in the air. Raven almost snorted at the resemblance Wanheda held to a panther stalking its prey when she tilted her head, looking at Glen and walking a half circle around him. 

Clarke took a step towards Glen, “These savages are the only reason you didn’t over hunt this entire forest within a month and starve yourself,” Another step, “These savages are the only reason you’ll be able to contact the Ark,” Another one, “These savages are keeping you sheltered from predators and Ripas,” One more step,“These savages being  _ merciful, _ is the only reason you’re still alive,” She took a final step, her nose was quite literally pressing into Glen’s. It looked quite like an Alpha wolf trying to intimidate another wolf. Still, Glen refused to back down, keeping eye contact with Clarke, “This savage,” Her voice was low now as she pointed at herself, “Will not hesitate to use my skill set to make sure you _aren't_ a problem if you start trouble with Trikru over this. And no one will rally behind you when you’re dead, Glen.” She stared at the short haired boy for another moment before stepping back, seemingly satisfied. She glanced around at the others, “That goes for all of you.” As if that were a cue, they all moved back to their regular positions and the tension seemed to bleed from the air. Glen walked away like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs. Raven smirked and nodded gratefully and Clarke. 

The blonde nodded in response and sat down next to her, 

“How’s the radio going?” The blonde asked. Raven glanced at it and then the piece of metal in her hand and shook the fog out of her mind.

“It’s basically done,” Raven said, grabbing to wire clamp she’d formed and connecting it to the piece of metal. She grabbed another and connected it to the metal and let out a whoop of joy when it didn’t spark aggressively at her,

“What I mean to say, was that it  _ is  _ done because I am a genius.” She smirked, “Still got it,” She added as she began fiddling with a dial, muttering things into the makeshift headset she’d made. 

“Alpha station, come in. This is Raven Reyes, coming at you live, from earth,” She grinned, high fiving Monty and putting her hand up for Clarke to hit. The blonde flinched away slightly when she raised her hand and Raven tried not to frown. She put her hand down and offered the blonde a smile instead. 

She had to remember what Clarke went through. Had to remember that she didn’t know what might trigger her. Clarke might be a badass assassin but even the strongest warriors had weak points. She scanned Clarke’s face, noting the fact that her cheek was newly swollen and cut. When she saw Clarke’s raised brow she realized she was staring and looked away quickly, turning her attention back to the radio.

“Alpha station, come in. This is Raven Reyes.” She repeated, turning the dials some more. After a few more attempts she began receiving static in return. Furrowing her brow in concentration, she moved the dials more, trying to tune into the Ark’s channel.

“Th... Alpha stat… Who is this?” Raven growled and continued to tune the dials. Finally, the Ark’s transition came in clear.

“This is Alpha station, Raven Reyes is dead. Who are you and where are you broadcasting from.” A stern voice demanded, Raven let out a triumphant noise and leaned into her headphone’s mic, 

“This  _ is _ Raven Reyes. I’m on the ground with the rest of Skaikr- The 100 right now.”

“Raven Reyes you were sent to Earth over a year ago why are you only getting back to us-” She heard a shuffling and the man’s voice was cut off and a woman started talking, 

“Raven? Is that really you?” After a moment she realized who she was talking to,

“Abby?” She asked, a grin growing on her face,

“Yes, Raven why are you only contacting us now? Does the fact that you’re alive mean Earth is survivable? Are all the 100 okay?” Raven glanced over at Clarke who looked like she was about to be sick and mouthed the words,

_ What’s she saying? _

Raven raised her hand up to Clarke to motion for her to wait,

“Most of the 100 are okay, I’m only contacting you now because my radio well… sort of got destroyed when I landed and…” She looked at the village around her, trying to think of the best way to explain the fact that people were already on Earth, “Earth is survivable. People have been surviving here since the bombs.” There was silence for a moment and then the man’s shocked voice came through again,

“What do you mean there are people surviving on Earth?” He demanded,

“There are whole cultures down here, they took me in and helped me survive. They’ve given me a place in their civilization. They saved the 100 and have agreed to integrate them into their system.” She said, slightly out of breath near the end of her rant,

“What do you mean integrate them? They shouldn’t be integrated into anything until we’ve come down. None of them are legally able to make that decision.” The man’s arrogant response made Raven dig her thumbs into her temples in exasperation, “Once we’ve met these people’s leader, we will decide whether we want to be apart of his society.” Raven clenched her fist,

“First of all, their Commander is a woman. Second of all, they are already being integrated but the offer does  _ not _ extend to the Ark as a whole. You will have to earn that.” She braced for the inevitable anger that’ll come from the arrogant adults of the Ark,

“I- What? They can’t just take the children, Reyes that’s kidnapping! That’s holding them as a hostage! Their parents are on the Ark!” The man protested, she realized that she was speaking to Marcus Kane.

“It’s not a hostage situation if they chose to join which they all did. They will swear themselves to the Commander tonight and after that they will no longer be Skaikru. The small amount of power you still have over them will be gone.” She finished, with an admittedly smug smirk on her face. She glanced over at Clarke who was pacing a few feet away, shoulders set tense and a grimace on her face. Raven could understand that, especially since she was only hearing one side of the conversation. 

“Raven we’ll discuss this later,” Abby’s voice came back through the headset, “But how’re the 100? All of their signals began going out the first night we they were on earth,” Raven rolled her eyes when she remembered the fact that they’d stupidly taken off their wristbands. More damage Bellamy caused.

“There are 93 of them left. The adult who came with us, Bellamy Blake was strongly against those living on Earth already and when one of us- sorry one of them, came and offered to save them Bellamy wouldn’t go with it. He created a separate faction of Skaikru. By the time we left the dropship there were five of them left and we left them behind. Bellamy tried to kill the Commander so he’s going to be executed soon most likely,” She added absentmindedly, 

“We’ll talk about the execution thing in the moment but that would leave you with 96 not 93,” Raven sighed when Abby said that,

“Yeah… Two of them were killed by the Mountain’s acid fog and Charlotte, the twelve year old was murdered.” She muttered, glancing over at Clarke as she said it, glad the blonde had not heard her.

“ _ Murdered?” _ Abby demanded, her voice incredulous, “By who?”

Raven winced, “By a dissenting Trikru.” 

“Raven…” Abby began tentatively, “Are you sure we can trust these… people?” Raven’s jaw clenched at that,

“I have been living with them for the past year and I can say that as long as you follow their laws, they pose no threat to you, besides, the murderer was brought to justice.” She heard Abby take a breath that seemed almost shaky before the woman continued,

“And Clarke? Has she been living with you? Is she okay?” The woman asked the question so hesitantly, her voice so soft that Raven was worried for a moment. She looked over at Clarke who was no longer pacing and now back to sharpening her sword, deep in thought with a dark look on her face. Raven turned back to her radio and responded,

“Define ‘okay’,”

“Alive? In good health?” Abby’s voice broke when she spoke and Raven felt her heart go out to the doctor,

“She’s alive, she’s surviving, her body is as good as a warrior’s body can be,” She said the word warrior hesitantly, not wanting to lie to the woman but not wanting to tell her that her daughter was an assassin, either. 

“ _ Warrior? _ ” Abby’s voice rang through her headset with an undercurrent of anger, “My teenage daughter is a  _ warrior _ ?” The older woman’s voice was full of incredulous anger, “What the  _ hell,  _ Raven?” The woman hissed. Raven rolled her eyes in response, 

“It’s not like I had much a choice in the matter, Abby, she landed in Azgeda -that’s one of the other grounder clans, by the way- and I landed in Trikru. I had no clue she survived. I only just reconnected with her earlier this month. Right before Skaikru landed, actually,” 

There was silence for a moment and then Abby continued,

“This is a lot to process, Raven, what are all these things, they don’t sound like english words. Trikru, Azgeda, Skaikru? Let’s start with that before we get into the complex details.” 

Raven sighed in response to those words. Even  _ that _ was going to be complex. It would be a long evening.

 

__________

  
  


Clarke pinched the bridge of her nose when she was forced once again to turn away from Dax,

“Raven, I already told you. I’m not speaking with my mother until she gets to the ground. It will be a lot easier that way. Just tell her I’m busy, after all I  _ am _ trying to train the gona under my command,” She raised a brow at the brunette in front of her and the girl rolled her eyes, 

“Fine, but if your mother comes after me acting like an angry mama bear and chews my damn head off, you’re building my pyre.” Clarke sighed and turned away from the girl, barely concealing the small smile that grew on her lips when she heard the grounder expression coming from Raven. Every day she learnt more and more that Raven was just as immersed into Trikru society as she was into Azgeda’s.

Clearing the thoughts from her head, she brought her shortsword up once again and stared at Dax. The weapon wasn’t one of her preferred -knives and daggers being her usual choice- but it was better than axes like Dax used or longer heavier two handed swords like the one Miller used that took away half your agility and energy. 

“Nodotaim!” She snapped at the short haired boy. He nodded, readying his defensive stance once again. As much as she hated going on the offensive like this, it was important to teach him how to defend himself properly. She sighed and stepped forwards, feigning a jab to to left of his stomach but sending her blade sailing up to slash across his chest. He stepped back and just barely had his axe up in time to stop the blow but the sword connected with the spot where the metal of his blade and the wood of his handle met with a solid  _ thunk _ . She grinned and stepped closer to him, getting inside of his guard and making him step back again. 

She delivered a powerful blow to his shoulder and he grunted as the dulled blade connected with the leather of his chest plate’s shoulderguards. 

“That’s why you don’t let your attacker get close,” She said as she stepped back, giving him a moment to compose himself as he rubbed his shoulder ruefully, “It makes you back up if your weapon is bigger than theirs so that you can get a hit in. You don’t want to have to back up unless you’re confident in your ability in fighting whilst walking backwards. Since you have little to no practise doing so, I easily got you unstable and was able to take a shot that would have wounded you in a permanent manner, or killed you had my blade hit closer to you neck. Understood?” He nodded in response and brought his axe up again to show his readiness. She rolled her shoulders once before stepping forwards and bringing down attack after attack. This is what she enjoyed about teaching Dax. While others like Miller and Monty got frustrated after their failures and those like Octavia (especially octavia) got angry and shrugged her teachings off, Dax always took it in stride. Using her suggestions to better himself. It was one of the main reasons she was seriously considering taking Dax as her second. She’d have to ask Lexa after the integration ceremony. 

At the thought of Lexa her concentration broke, a slight frown coming over her face as she thought of the intense conflicting emotions she’d seen on the Commander’s face when she told her of Costia.

Dax on the other hand, was not thinking of those things and was focusing on the battle. He took her distraction and used it against her, trapping her blade in his axe and twisting, sending her blade off to the side and advancing quickly, pressing his axe to her throat. 

She raised her arms in surrender and gave him a smirk when he stepped back,

“Good! You used my distraction against me and took the opportunity. Let that be a lesson to you, if we were in a real battle and I let myself be distracted like that I would be a corpse on the floor. Same goes for you. Again!” She snapped, picking her blade up off the floor and going for a powerful overhead swing.

He brought his axe up to block the swing but she had a year of eating proper proteins and building muscles versus his artificial foods and artificial gravity. Not to mention the fact that the Ark didn’t really allow working out due to all the calories and air it burned. So all he had going for him was a limited amount of time training and the natural muscles that came with being a 6,4 pre-adult. 

She used her strength to push down on him and he grunted, shifting his grip on the axe to get a stronger defense. 

She growled and brought her leg around, kicking his shin and making him yelp and stumble back ever so slightly. She stepped forwards again and swung hard from her right. He shifted his entire body to block the blow and tensed up, locking his joints. Clarke used that to her advantage, kicking his feet out from under him from his left side.

He landed with a thud on his back and groaned, chuckling ever so slightly as he knocked his head against the dirt. 

“And that, Dax, is what happens when you lock your knees while in combat,” She smirked and switched her sword to her right hand, offering her left to the downed boy. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet by the blonde.

She stepped back and raised her sword again, 

“Again!” 

The only response she got was a groan and an axe being raised.

 

__________

Translations

Gona = Warrior(s)

Nodotaim = Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yep, sorry the end is mostly filler. I wanted to get the chapter out but I didn't want it to be too short so I added some Clarke/Dax moments. Don't worry nothing romantic will go on with them. More Clexa next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Octavia is sad and Clarke is a momma hen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoah it hasn't been a month yet has it? It has? Aw shit my bad y'all. Anyhow don't complain just read the chapter it's pretty lit (Though short-ish).

Octavia absentmindedly ran her fingers over the freshly bandaged tattoo on her arm, watching Trikru and Skaikru -no, they were Trikru now- interact. The ceremony had been quick, every member of the fallen Skaikru had taken on Trikru’s base clan tattoo that their member’s received at twelve regardless of what status or job they held. They were no longer Skaikru. She smiled at the thought, they’d all been assigned firsts when they’d been integrated into the clan depending on their skill set. Octavia’s first was Indra. The village’s chief. A grin lit up her face and she looked down, trying not to display her happiness to much, the last thing she needed was Miller teasing her about actually having feelings. 

Speaking of the man, he sat next to her, a cup full of the village’s specialty alcohol that burned worse than Monty’s moonshine. He grinned at her and bumped his shoulder into her’s playfully, 

“What, you not excited to be a grounder now? Maybe one day you’ll be able to take Clarke.” Octavia rolled her eyes at his joke and allowed a small chuckle to escape her lips,

“Shouldn’t you be making out with Monty, Nate?” The darker man let out a laugh of his own and took a sip from his cup.

“I would be if he wasn’t busy discussing the best way to make alcohol with the local brewer,” He took another sip of his drink and looked up at Octavia, “Don’t tell Monty this but her drink puts Monty’s to shame.” 

The two laughed and talked a bit more, watching their friends interact with their new clan. Laughing, drinking, partying. 

_ Living. _

She sent a silent thank you to Clarke, wherever the blonde was. The woman had given her a life. Without her, Bellamy would probably have driven them to their death in a bloody war against Trikru and the coalition. 

The thought of her brother sent a pang of sadness through her stomach and she grabbed the drink from Nathan’s hand, taking a long swig from the beverage. She hissed at the burn that she felt in her throat and grimaced, though she was thankful for the pleasant hazy feeling that descended down over her. 

“Whoa there, drinky, this shit’s strong. Take it easy,” He pried the drink from her hand and she sighed, nodding ever so slightly, “You alright?” He asked, his voice edged with concern now. 

She nodded again, “Thoughts on Bellamy,” She muttered, leaning into the boy next to her, letting him take up a somewhat brotherly role as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder knocking his head against her’s gently.

“I’m sorry your brother isn’t who you thought he was,” He said.

Octavia was thankful for the way he phrased it, 

None of the bullshit ‘I’m sorry he’s going to die,’ because most of the people who said it didn’t really mean it. Octavia thought her brother had been caring, selfless -perhaps he was, maybe that was what had changed him, corrupted him- but she’d seen the way he acted on the ground. She huffed out a bitter laugh. That’s what power did. It either corrupted you or it thrust you into being great. It had corrupted Bellamy in the few days he’d had power over the 100.

“You’re going to be alright, kid,” Miller mumbled, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. Her heart ached at the brotherly act but she simply leant into him more, taking comfort in his presence.  

The two sat in silent companionship until Monty dragged them both towards the large bonfire, stating that they needed to cheer up. The night was better after that.

 

__________

  
  


Anya sat next to Raven and Lexa, the two women quietly discussing the Ark -Raven’s previous home in the sky-. She watched the party unfold in front of her, a long hair boy she recognized as Monty dragging Octavia, Indra’s new Seken and Miller towards where Shaikri was handing out drinks. 

Her eyes drifted to the tall boy who seemed to follow Wanheda around like a puppy, Dax, he was dancing with two warriors Anya recognized as Tolan and Michigana. She rolled her eyes as Tolan’s hands made their way to Dax’s hips and Michigana pressed closer to the boy’s front. 

_ Parties. _

She continued scanning the area, her eyes landing on several others but a frown came upon her lips and she turned to her two companions,

“Clarke is missing from the party,” She stated, watching the two brunettes for their reaction.

Raven looked up at her with a raised brow and Lexa’s features seemed to harden minutely, her jaw tensing ever so slightly. 

How curious, the two seemed to have been getting along better lately. 

“And? She’s a grown as woman, Anya, she can take care of herself,” Raven snarked back, a small grin on her face. Anya rolled her eyes in response, 

“Yes but isn’t she still a possible threat?” The blonde pressed, leaning slightly closer to the two.

“Do you still have Lincoln tailing her?” Lexa asked, a brow raised. Anya nodded in response,

“Of course, Heda,” She replied, the brunette shrugged,

“Then she hasn’t done anything noteworthy. Lincoln would have told us.” Anya’s brow furrowed at Lexa’s half nonchalant half distracted behavior. She shared a look with Raven who was looking similarly confused. Lexa was never relaxed. About anything. Not really, anyone who really knew who could see the signs that she was bothered. A tick in her jaw, the most minute furrowing of a brow, a worrying of her lip, there was always some sign. Now she simply seemed distracted.

“Are you alright, Lexa?” Anya asked, leaning forwards slightly. The girl’s expression darkened slightly but she nodded,

“Sha Anya, Ban em op ge,” The brunette commanded. Anya cast her a final concerned look before ducking her head, muttering a quiet  _ ‘Of course, Heda,’ _ before turning her attention to Raven.

The girl was standing next to her now, offering her hand. Anya let out a playful groan as the brunette nodded her head towards where the people were dancing.

“Come on, Anya, we don’t know how soon I’ll have to go back to Polis, humour me,” Raven had a shit eating grin on her face and Anya shook her head as she stood, a small chuckle leaving her lips.

“Let us dance then, strik sora,” She murmured, taking Raven’s hand and pulling her towards the crowd.

 

__________

  
  


Clarke sat next to the small cell that Bellamy had been thrown in till tomorrow. The boy’s hair was scraggly and dirty, hanging in front of his face where he sat in his personal prison. 

He sat on a chair-like stone, hunched over and not making a sound. He looked quite pathetic. She would have sneered had she not felt a tab bit of sympathy for him.

She knew what it was like to be locked up by people she didn’t know. To be imprisoned for what felt like no reason.

Except he  _ had _ been imprisoned for a reason. His xenophobic ass he had been banished. He had tried to kill the Commander.

She snorted a self deprecating snort at that thought. Because he wasn’t the only who was trying to kill the Commander. Or at least she  _ should _ be trying. 

God Nia would have her killed if she found out the amount of times Clarke had saved Lexa’s life. The blonde wanted to kick herself, she should have just let the woman die. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt of Costia all over again. She remembered the agony that had been present in Lexa’s eyes as she pressed the knife to Clarke’s throat in that musty rock tomb as the Pauna pounded on the door. 

She squeezed her eyes shut and knocked her head softly against the rock wall behind her. She never knew feeling genuine human emotions again could be so troubling. 

Then there was the matter of her mother and the Ark. 

She couldn’t bring herself to talk to her mom. At first, she couldn’t even rationalize it. Why wouldn’t she want to talk to the last family she had left? The woman she never thought she’d hear from again? But after a few hours of thinking (and pounding her anger out on some of the seconds), she’d figured it out. She wasn’t the girl that Abby sent away. She was a warrior -no- a  _ killer. _ She didn’t want her mother to see her like that, at least not until they were in person. She couldn’t bear lying to the woman either. She couldn’t just grit her teeth and tell the woman who raised her that she was perfectly okay and Abby would definitely ask. 

She sighed and rubbed at her temple, knocking her head back against the wall again.

The sound of her head connecting with the wall must catch Bellamy’s attention.

“My last guard was less noisy than you,” Clarke sent him and withering glare coupled with a raised brow that made him put his hands up in surrender before he leaned back against the wall. He was silent for a few more moments before he -unfortunately- continued to talk, “So why’re you here? Aren’t you above guard duty?” She chuckled and shook her head,

“No one’s above guard duty, Skairat,” She grumbled in return. He let out a huff of angered air at that, 

“You call me that -skairat or whatever, but you’re one of us. You’re from the Ark. But you act like one of them. You fight for them, you led our people to their death for them.” He’d stood up by now, was leaning against the cage of his cell, his fingers wrapped around the bars so hard she could see the blood rushing out of his knuckles. The blonde growled and stood up, walking towards him and stopping in front of the cell, “How does it feel to be a traitor to your people, huh?” He growled, his voice full of malice, “Being a princess on the Ark wasn’t enough for you so you figured, ‘Let’s fuck over our people on the ground and become some sort of fucked up dictator-”

His ranting was cut off as she grabbed him by the shirt and yanked up forwards,  _ hard _ , his head connected with the metal and his skull let out a sick thud that always came when it hit something too hard. He collapsed to the floor and groaned, clutching at his head where blood was steadily leaking from it. She took a calming breath and walked back to her makeshift seat, sitting down. 

“Y-You bitch! I’m going to bleed out!” He exclaimed as he pulled his hand away from his head, obviously concerned by the large amount of blood pooling on the floor where he’d fallen. Clarke on the other hand, was far from concerned. She sighed and rolled her eyes,

“It’s a head wound Bellamy, they bleed a lot but your only real concern is a concussion. Besides, If I were you, I’d be hoping to bleed out. Hell of a lot better way to go than the way you will tomorrow,” She ignored his quiet crying for a few moments before giving him a sickly sweet smile, “You know, my last prisoner was less noisy than you,” She smirked triumphantly when he slowly stopped crying after she repeated his words. A few minutes passed and then finally, she spoke up,

“To answer your first question, I’m here because I don’t trust a guard who doesn’t want to be here to watch you properly. That, and if you escape again, Octavia will just hurt even more. So sit tight, I’m going to be here all night.” 

 

__________

  
  


Octavia tried to calm herself down as she watched two guards tie Bellamy to the post. It was a quick process, they weren’t cruel about it. A fact Octavia was truly grateful about. Finally, after what seemed like hours Indra walked up to Bellamy. 

He looked like a lunatic, his eyes wild, breathing heavy, hair greasy and thrown everywhere. He had the dignity not to beg though. Or maybe he knew it was too late. 

“Belomi kom Skaikru, kon fotones gon frag oso Heda en chopa yu banaumen, yu nau na teik in Wamplei kom Thauz Kodon!” She exclaimed, drawing a wicked looking knife from her belt and raising it above her head. The village let out cheers but all Octavia could do was clench her jaw. She didn’t move though. She didn’t try to stop them.

“At least say it in a language I can understand, grounder!” Bellamy spat back, straining against his bonds as he tried to get in her face. 

Her new Fos gave Bellamy an up and down and let out a contemptuous noise before speaking again, 

“Bellamy of Skaikru, for the crime of attempting to kill the Commander and breaking your banishment, you have been sentenced to Death by a Thousand Cuts,” She gave him a superior look as he paled, clearly not realizing how he would die, “Let us begin.” Indra flipped the knife in her hand so she was holding the blade and held the handle out to the Commander,

“The first cut goes to you, Heda,” The chieftain said, her head held high. The brunette nodded ever so slightly and took the knife, walking over to her brother and stared at him for a moment before bringing the knife up and slowly dragging it across the skin from the crook of his neck to his chest. He couldn’t hold back his scream of pain as the knife cut his skin and Octavia winced, looking away ever so slightly. The Commander nodded once again at Indra and passed the knife back to her. The older woman took the knife and dragged it from his cheekbone to his jaw, baring her teeth slightly, 

“Gon Heda,” She growled quietly and pulled away. She looked contemplative for a moment while deciding who to give her knife to then turned to Octavia. Her eyes seemed to harden for a moment then she walked towards her. Octavia’s breath caught in her throat when Indra offered her the knife, 

“Prove who you are loyal to, Seken. Your old family or your new one,” Indra said, staring her in the eye, a look that was a mix of expectancy and something else in them. The brunette ground her teeth together for a moment before lifting her head slightly and grabbing the knife from Indra and walking until she stood less than a foot away from Bellamy. She stared into his tear filled eyes for a few moments, ignoring the pleading babbles that came from his mouth as she thought back to all the times he’d defended her, saved her. 

But the memories were tainted now. Tainted by him raising his hand against her on the ground. Screaming at her for not agreeing with his xenophobia. Using a child’s death to further his xenophobia. 

This hysterical man who was tied before her, crying and cursing all in the same instant was not her brother. Her brother died the second they landed on the ground and the power vacuum began. Those few days of power corrupted him enough to drive him insane. That was the only possible reason. Or perhaps he was always crazy. Maybe she just never saw it because she only ever saw him as her hero who would keep her company and keep her  _ safe. _

All those thoughts passed through her head in an instant. In that instant, she made up her mind. 

She took a deep breath, ignoring the way it felt like ribs cracked with the pressure of it. The way it made her lungs so full she was worried they’d burst. The way her hand shook. 

She placed the blade on his chest and he sucked in a breath, a look of disbelief clear in his eyes. She set her jaw and dragged it six inches across his chest. The noise he let out then was worse than the first two. It could have been the fact that he was truly beginning to feel the pain, but she had a feeling it was because she was the one cutting him. She stepped back quickly, handing the knife to a worried looking Clarke and trying to ignore the blood that inexplicably got on her hands. She moved to stand next to Indra and the woman nodded at her,

“You did good, Seken,” The woman had respect in her eyes as she spoke in a quiet voice, “Go do what you must, report back to me when you have recollected herself,” Octavia took a shaky breath and gave a grateful nod to her first,

“Mochof, Indra,” She mumbled, trying to hold the bile in her throat back. The dark woman nodded and without a second thought Octavia was running. She was running out of the village, ignoring the curious villagers as she moved into the forest and kept going. She only stopped when the cheering and leering of the villagers and warriors were distant noises. Finally she let herself loose the contents of her stomach onto the grass and roots at her feet, bracing herself against a tree as she heaved into the dirt. The acidic smell of her bile made her cough a few more times before she was stumbling to a new tree and sliding down against it.

She brought her legs up to her chest and sobbed into her knees, wrapping her arms around her head, trying to block the world out for a moment. She knew that at this moment, she was the most vulnerable she’d been since she landed on the ground -ignoring when she’d stupidly walked out of the dropship and screamed at the top of her lungs-. 

The sobs wracked through her whole body and she clung tighter to herself, as if it was the only way she could anchor her body to the earth. The only way she wouldn’t just wake up and be back under the floor in her old room or in that cell in the skybox. 

She let out an ugly sound and hit her head against the tree behind her, relishing in the momentary clarity the pain of bark and wood against her skull provided. 

Not only was she losing a brother today, she’d helped with it. She’d cut him. She’d spilt her brother’s blood. 

As if it were acid, the heat of blood burned her hands and she looked down and began rubbing her hands against the material of her pants instantly. She wasn’t even sure how she got his blood on her hands. Maybe it wasn’t even his. Maybe there was no blood at all. Maybe she was just going insane, just like her brother. 

She shut her eyes and let out a scream of agony, not the kind that came with physical pain, the kind that came with a mental pain so heavy your entire world felt like it was bowing under it. She was suddenly reminded of the stories of Atlas, the Greek titan who held the weight of the world. She felt for him now. Then her agony increased when she made the connection between his story and her brother. 

When she felt a tentative arm wrap around her shoulder her eyes shot open and she recoiled, her hand reaching for a knife on her belt -when did that action become automatic?- and gasping slightly when she found it wasn’t there. 

Her panic was quelled only slightly when she saw it was Clarke.

The girl reached out slowly, leaving Octavia plenty of time to move away this time before placing a hand on Octavia’s shoulder.

The contact made her sob harder, curling into herself. 

Clarke made a noise that resembled the one her mother used to make when she hurt herself in their room, a soft clucking of the tongue. 

The blonde kneeled down beside her and put her arms around her and Octavia cried harder, allowing herself this one long moment of weakness as she leaned into the blonde. The girl held her tighter and murmured trigedasleng into her ear as she rocked her slightly. Octavia felt like a child again. It wasn’t a bad feeling though. It was nice having a mother figure again. Even if it was only in this secluded forest area in this small time period. 

“Just breath, O, you’re going to get through this,” The blonde murmured, holding her close as she cried, “Just breath,”

And she did.  


 

__________

**Translations**

Sha Anya, Ban em op ge = Yes Anya, leave it be

Strik sora = Little bird

Belomi kom Skaikru, kon fotones gon frag oso Heda en chopa yu banaumen, yu nau na teik in Wamplei kom Thauz Kodon = Bellamy of Skaikru, for the crime of attempting to kill our Commander and breaking your banishment, you will now suffer Death by a Thousand Cuts

Gon Heda = For the Commander

Mochof = Thank you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarke/Octavia brotp was so important to me and I'm still salty the writers did me dirty with them so now we get to see Clarke become the mom friend for all of them. Once again, yes it has been a while and I'm sorry for that. Also in regard to Octavia, she is sad yes, she basically helped kill her brother, so obviously his death will affect her. Anyhow, leave a review! They really keep me going :)
> 
> Have a nice night y'all!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \\\Trigger Warning//
> 
> Torture/Extreme description of gore

Lexa stood with her hands clasped loosely behind her back. The burning of the mouthy Skai boy had been very scarcely crowded. He’d succumbed to his wounds after the twenty eighth cut. It had been a brutal process, but then, it always was. She glanced over at Octavia who’d returned early into the burning and swallowed down the emotions that threatened to bubble up. She knew all too well what it was like to watch people you cared for die. To partake in the killing of her brothers and sisters in arms. She’d been forced to kill the nightbloods she was raised with at the conclave and a part of her would always hurt because of that. Her mind drifted back to the day after the conclave, after she’d received the flame and her ceremonial markings.

  
  


_ “Lex…” A soft voice sounded from the entrance of Commander Vigdis’ room- No, it was her room now. She looked up to the door from where she sat on the edge of the bed.   
_ _   
_ __ Costia stood in the doorway, of her room, looking more nervous than she’d ever seen her. Lexa simply looked down at her hands. 

_ They were stained black. She hadn’t had the time to wash at all, she still wore the blood of her brothers and sisters around her eyes. She hadn’t looked as she put it on after the conclave. At the end, she’d gone to each body and dipped her fingers in their blood, wiping the black liquid around her eyes in what would be her war paint until the end of her days as customary. She could almost feel the weight of their souls in the blood on her face.  _

_ The blood of her siblings she had spilled was the last remaining connection she had to them. _

_ The thought sent a sob through her body. The sound tore through her lips as her entire body heaved with the weight of it. The weight of an entire clan rested on her shoulders now. At sixteen years of age and she was alone.  _

_ She brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she sobbed and slipped off the edge of the bed where she was perched.  _

_ The impact shook her bones and made her cry harder.  _

_ She let out a desperate cry of anguish when she felt arms circle her body and she fought against them, pushing the familiar embrace away.  _

_ “Lexa- Hodnes, please! Calm down, you will tear your stitches, you must calm down please,” _

_ Costia’s soft words made her cry harder but she relaxed instantly, letting her body be pulled into Costia’s lap. _

_ “They’re all dead, Costia,” She sobbed the words out, burying her face in Costia’s shoulder, “and half of them are dead by my blade,” She curled up further in the embrace of the girl she loved, _

_ “Lexa, you had no choice- but they are not all dead, Luna escaped, there’s still Luna,” Lexa choked back a sob, _

_ “Titus will have her killed for betraying the blood, Costia,” The girl in question took her chin and tilted it up so that they were looking at each other, _

_ “Lex, you’re Heda now, you can order him to stand down. He no longer has power over you. No one has power over you now,” The realization struck Lexa like a blow, “You can make sure no other Natblida go through what you went through, you can make sure no one else ever has to kill to survive again, Lexa. You are the Commander, you can  _ actually  _ form the coalition now. Just like we spoke about,” _

_ Lexa’s heart stuttered at that and she raised a hand to wipe her tears away, careful not to smear the dark blood into her eyes.  _

_ “You’re right,” She slowly pulled herself to her feet and took a deep breath, letting the mask she’d been building fall into place. The only evidence she’d been so broken moments ago was the red swollen skin around her eyes, the heaving of her chest and the way her fingers shook before she curled them into a tight fists, “I need to speak with Titus, I’ll start with making him withdraw the kill order he’s inevitably put out on Luna,” Costia gave her an encouraging smile, still standing close to her.  _

_ “Will you stay with me?” Lexa asked, her voice wavering ever so slightly. Costia reached out and took her hand, squeezing, _

_ “Always, Hodnes, no matter what,” _

 

 

She was pulled from her thoughts when a particular Azgeda came to stand next to her. She shot her a wary look,

“Clarke,” She said in way of greeting, barely dipping her head in acknowledgement. 

She saw the girl swallow out of the corner of her eyes but refused to look over, keeping her eyes on the burning fire instead. 

“Commander,” Clarke did bow her head in respect, 

“What do you want?” She asked, perhaps she should have asked it differently but she had a burning pit of anger in her stomach and the only way she could refrain and screaming in agony at the sky was by being bitter. 

“I want to know what our next move is, Raven says the Ark and everyone on it will be here by the end of the week. Are we going back to Polis or setting up a defense here? It’s very likely they become hostile and we need a defense if that is the case. They’re arrogant adults that will see us as savages and try and take advantage of that. Even if they decide they want an alliance, it needs to be us  _ allowing _ them to have an alliance, not them deciding we’re worthy enough of their time.”

Lexa clenched her jaw and finally turned to look at the girl, 

“You say, ‘Us’ as if you are one of us, Clarke, what is to say you will not return to the people of the Ark once they land?” Her voice is venomous and she knows she’s being cruel but the small twitch of Clarke’s eye that shows the break in her ice cold composure sends a jolt of satisfaction through her. 

“I must have had this same damn conversation with people at least eight times since we came in contact with the 100, do I really need to fucking get into it again?” The blonde was baring her teeth at the end of her sentence,

“You will watch yourself when speaking to Heda,” One of Lexa’s guards snarled, stepping to stand beside the brunette.

“Bite me, Trikru,” Clarke snapped, the response made Lexa’s blonde guard growled and reached for her weapon but Lexa raised her hand, signaling for her guard to stand down. The woman glanced hesitantly at her before stepping back.

“Leave us,” She said. The guard dared not question her and left quickly.

“I watched my father get killed for a crime he never committed, the Ark did that. I was sent to the earth to keep that fact hidden, the Ark did that. If the Ark saw me now, they’d call me a savage too. So no, I won’t go running back to the Ark who cast one hundred helpless children to the ground expecting them to die and justifying it with ‘they’re expandable’. I am loyal to Azgeda, I am loyal to this Coalition, I am loyal to  _ you. _ How hard is that to believe?” Her breathing was heavy when she finished her rant and Lexa simply cocked her head to the side.

“Did Costia believe you were loyal to her?”

Clarke’s cold expression shifted quickly through multiple expressions.

Shock, anger, guilt, hurt, pain, pain,  _ pain. _

She took no pity though, she’d brought it on herself. 

“Speak to Anya or Raven if you want to know what we’re doing next, I still can’t look at you without feeling enough anger to rend a pauna to it’s knees.”

The blonde nodded and had an expression of pain and confusion mixed before she staggered away. Lexa watched her until she disappeared into the forest before she took a shaky breath and let her shoulders slump ever so slightly.

 

__________

  
  


Clarke had barely passed the forest line before she collapsed against a tree trunk. Lexa’s words had struck hard and true. She’d said she was loyal to Costia. In the end that hadn’t been true. Now, she was saying she was loyal to Lexa, to the coalition, to Azgeda. In reality, she was loyal to nothing. 

Maybe some of the 100. The ones she’d grown close to.

In another world she could see herself growing close with Raven, Anya, Lexa, all of them. If she’d fallen where Raven had she’d have gotten close with all of them. Had the same relationships. She’d be loyal to Lexa in a way she wasn’t to Nia. Costia would still be alive. 

Clarke wouldn’t be so utterly  _ broken. _

But that wasn’t the case. She’d landed in Azgeda. She’d learnt time and time again that to have feelings- to make connections, was weakness. She sighed and knocked her head against the trunk behind her, looking up at the sky. 

She hated the waiting. She wanted the Ark to arrive so she could do  _ something _ . She wasn’t close enough with Lexa yet to actually get a hit on her and the chances that that would happen seemed to be getting lower and lower. Plus, the longer she waited to kill Lexa, the longer she got with her few friends that were part of the 100. She slowly climbed to her feet, content that the consistent throb in her heart was at a steady level.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she headed back into TonDC, preparing to talk to Raven about what their next move would be. 

That’s when she heard the commotion. The shouting of angered people. She worried if she sighed anymore she may injure her lungs but she set off at a light jog through the town to the sound of the bustle. 

A groan escaped her lips when she took in the sight before her. 

Miller and Monty were holding a snarling Octavia back by her arms and Dax and a Trikru woman were holding back another Trikru who had a swesh cut along his swollen cheek. She clenched her fists and stepped into the circle that had formed around the scene. 

“Em pleni!” Snarled Anya a few feet to her right. The woman had stepped into the circle the same time as her, “Ai laik Wormana, nou goufasitta! Ai na nou chillau yu kwellai gonplei!”

The two struggling seemed to relax slightly at that, though Clarke knew Octavia didn’t know all the words, she knew to respect Anya. 

“What happened?” Clarke growled, moving to stand next to Anya.

Octavia shook Miller and Monty off and came to stand in front of Anya and Clarke, 

“He said that if I was willing to kill my own brother, how could they trust me as part of their kru.” She clenched her jaw and tilted her head up and Clarke let out an exasperated sigh,

“And what did you do?” It reminded her of how her mother would talk to her when Wells and her would fight as children.

“I hit him,” She admitted, though to her credit, she stayed stupidly resolute with her strong stance. 

The other Trikru came up beside Octavia looking outraged,

“I did not strike her! If any of us had struck another without provocation we would be whipped! If she is truly Trikru now then treat her as an equal! She deserves lashes!” He roared, looking wild. Several people around them cried in agreeal and Clarke cursed the effects of pack mentality.

Anya glanced at Clarke only for a moment, before turning back to the crowd.

“Octavia is to receive ten lashes for attacking a member of her clan unprovoked, for the act of striking your brother in arms is of the highest offence,” Anya paused for a moment, letting the news sink in, “Then Githru is to receive increased duties for the next week for the insult of a member of his clan,” The man- Githru’s scowl deepened but he nodded.

“Sha, Anya,” He muttered, turning away to skulk most likely.

“Octavia,” Anya turned back to the brunette who was much paler than usual, “Prepare for your whipping, Clarke can surely prep you.” She gave the two a nod before turning away. Clarke took in Octavia’s panicked look and shook her head minutely before grabbing Anya’s wrist. 

“Anya, hod op-” The woman turned and gave her an unimpressed look,

“I will not reverse my judgement, Wanheda, she is a member of this clan and she will be punished accordingly,”

“And I am not saying that isn’t fair, I am merely saying that she is unfamiliar with the customs and rules of the ground. She is an emotional girl. She will be trained to follow logic and not her feelings eventually but she is still a child, Anya.” The older blonde raised a brow at Clarke, clearly expecting her to get to the point. Clarke sighed, “Let me take her lashed, beja, I will make sure she does not do something like this again,” Anya’s brow furrowed in surprised for just a moment before her expression shifted to a blank one as she considered the offer. 

She nodded, “Very well, prepare for your lashes, Clarke.” Clarke exhaled in relief and nodded. Ignoring the fact that the cuts from the whipping would burn and pull every time she moved and thinking about the fact that she was saving Octavia from a world of pain she didn’t deserve to experience yet. 

“Clarke kom Azgeda is to take the lashes for Octavia, anyone who has any issues with it can take it up with my sword.” Anya glared at the members that were still gathered and when no one said anything she nodded, “Clarke you have a few minutes to prepare, I’ll go get Indra.” Clarke nodded and grabbed Octavia by the arm and gripped hard. The girl hissed and pushed Clarke back but the blonde dug her nails into Octavia’s exposed skin.

“I take the hits for you this once, you’ll see what it does to me and you won’t ever do this again, got it?” Octavia yanked her arm away from Clarke and glared at her, 

“He called practically called me a traitor!” Octavia hissed back and Clarke nearly groaned, 

_ Was I this bad at sixteen? _

“Octavia do you know why whips hurt so much?” The other girl stopped and shook her head, “Because they don’t just cut you, they hit you so hard that they  _ peel  _ the flesh off your body. Every single hit. Don’t think Indra will go easy on you next time because she is your Fos. If anything, she’ll do it harder to you out of shame that her own Seken would do that. So get your head out of your ass.” She growled, stepping closer to Octavia, “This society has rules and if you don’t follow them you die. So if I see that you’ve done something like this again and I took this whipping for you for no reason, I will personally kick your ass- AM I UNDERSTOOD?” She shouted, making the girl stumble away from her slightly, nodded and looking like a kicked puppy. 

“Good,” She pulled off her cloak and armour, “Dax!” She called, he came over and nodded,

“What’s up? Besides shouting at Octavia and stupidly taking her punishments of course,” He gave her a grim smile and she rolled her eyes, dumping her armour and cloak in his arms. 

“Hold these,” She reached around her waist and pulled her shirt off leaving her only in the band around her breasts.She shivered slightly when the cool breeze hit the almost completely closed cuts on her back from when Nia had her whipped just before she left. It felt like a world away. What brought her back to reality was Dax’s sharp intake of breath,

“Jesus, Clarke,” Clarke glanced down at herself and looked at the intricate patchwork of scars from torture and battle combined on her body. She looked up at him and for the first time, saw an expression on his face that couldn’t be classified as sarcastic or positive. 

The blonde set her jaw. Their pity didn’t help. 

“Just hold my things, Dax.” 

She walked over to the pole that Bellamy had be tied to for his execution and kneeled down beside it when she saw Indra walk through the crowd. She wound her hands into the rope and place the cleanest part she could find in her mouth.

“Are you ready, Azgedon?” She heard Indra’s voice ringing out and nodded, biting down hard on the rope. 

The mayflies were heavy in the hot evening air, dust from the roads mingled with them as they flew. She heard the familiar displacing of air as Indra drew the whip above her head and the telltale snap it made when it reached it’s peak. It happened both in an instant and in slow motion.

When it snapped down on her skin and pulled away it felt like a knife cutting deep into her skin. She bit down hard. Her muscles strained and she pulled on the ropes, refusing the cry that rose in her throat to break through. 

In an instant, the next lash hit. The fire in form of old leather lashed out across her back, surely opening her old wounds as well as new ones. 

But still, the only sound she let out was a muffled grunt. 

There was no sound on the third strike or the fifth or the tenth when it was all done. 

When Miller and Harper finally helped her to her feet when the whipping was done she made no sound. When she locked eyes with a sick looking Octavia she let out no sound. As she stumble away, her back protesting and sending liquid fire to every one of her nerve endings, she made no sound.

Only when Nyko laid her down on a hospital cot facedown and Harper and Nathan left did she finally allow herself to let out a wretched sob. 

Nyko let out a tutting noise and gently applied a healing salve to her back. 

“You bear the pain so your people do not have to, Wanheda.” Clarke scoffed -though she regretted it instantly as it made her back stretch and ache-

“They are Trikru, Nyko, not my people,” She grumbled into the pillow her face was burried into.

She heard a soft laugh, that vibrated through the fingers spreading salve onto her back. 

“Yet they look to your for judgement, they see you as their leader and you see them as your people, whether you notice it or not. The Wanheda kom Azgeda I’ve heard stories of would not take ten lashes from an Azgeda hating chieftain for a random Trikru, I know that much,”

Clarke clenched her jaw as she waited for him to continued,

“Fear not, Clarke, I am a doctor, I am not here to cause unnecessary strife. As long as you create not problems for TonDC nor Heda, we’ll be fine.” 

The blonde felt guilt swirl in her stomach when she thought of the Commander and tried to tamp it down. 

Assassins felt no remorse for their targets. They did not feel guilt for what they did.

A voice inside her head was screaming but it was drowned out by the screaming pain coming from her back.

With thoughts of betrayal and regret on her mind, Clarke drifted to sleep. 

 

__________

Translations

Hodnes = Love, (Term of endearment)

Natblida = Nightblood

Em pleni = Enough

Ai laik Wormana, nou goufasitta! Ai na nou chillau yu kwellai gonplei = I am a general, not a babysitter! I will not break up your petty fights!

Kru = Clan

Sha = Yes

Hod op = Wait

Azgedon = Azgeda Warrior

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super long wait! Life has been hella hectic! Please enjoy!
> 
> (Come yell at me on twitter @SupcrCxrp)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THATS FUCKING RIGHT I AM BACK. So sorry for the long as absence. But, the good news is I will be posting frequently again! I'm sorry the chapters so short I just wanted to get back into it.

“Keep your back straight, Seken!” Fio snapped, slapping the flat lenght of his sword on Dax’s back. Dax grit his teeth and straightened his back out and pulled slightly harder on the drawstring, “Hips aligned with your shoulders!” The Trikru man jostled his shoulders and Dax tightened his grip on the bow, his knuckles paling. Fio let out a frustrated sigh, “How many times must I tell you-” He trailed off as he delivered a slap to the back of Dax’s head, “Do not lean your head forwards or your arrow will stray every time you shoot!” The tall blonde brought the bow down and threw the arrow off to the side setting the bow down.

“I fucking get it! I’m bad with the damn bow!” He snarled, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Fio scowled and crossed his arms, shaking his head. 

“You are a fool if you think that is the lesson I am attempting to teach you!” The man snapped then muttered a few words in trigedasleng towards the sky, “Whoi souda ai tiech disha goufa?” 

Dax understood the words teach and child and assumed the words Fio spoke were less than savoury.

“What are you trying to teach me then? Because I’m pretty sure it is you are  _ not _ succeeding,” Dax said in retort, sarcasm invading his voice

“Clearly I am not because if I was you would know how to hold a bow properly!” Fio shouted back, “Now stop being an a child! Compose yourself and pick the bow up,” That was all the man said, before he began calming his breathing. Dax’s perpetual scowl deepened slightly and he picked the cursed bow up off the floor, fetching an arrow as well. As he nocked the arrow, he let out a breath, trying to remember Fio’s annoying tips. He glanced over at the trikru man, satisfied when the man said nothing about his posture. Keeping his breathing even, he returned his sighs to the large trunk that the gonas often used for target practice. 

Just as Clarke had instructed him when she first let him use a bow, he breathed in deeply, holding the air in his lungs as he took aim. All at once, he exhaled and loosed the arrow from his grip. It flew threw the air, hitting the very edge of the tree. It wasn’t a great shot but at least it actually hit the tree this time. He let a small satisfied smile take over his face.

He turned to face Fio and raised his eyebrows, placing his hands on his hips and giving the man an expectant look, letting out a victorious noise.

The older man snorted and sat down on a rock, “At least you hit the tree this time,” he replied. Dax chuckled in response and went to grab another arrow. 

The action was interrupted by the sound of the sky tearing apart. 

He instantly jumped, dropping the bow and reaching for the axe at his waist. When he looked up, he realized the sound wasn’t of a nearby attacker. It was the sound of a ship breaking through the atmosphere. 

_ Wait no-  _

That wasn’t a ship, that was a whole damn chunk of the Ark. 

He let out a disbelieving laugh. The Ark was finally here. He was going to see his mother again. 

 

__________

  
  


The moment the Ark had been spotted flying through the earth’s atmosphere the command centre that had been set up in TonDC began bustling with activity. Lexa spoke with her higher ranked who then proceeded to move out, barking orders at the gona nearby. They’d began preparing to send out an entourage of a decent size- not too many to be seen as a threat by the Ark and put them on edge, but enough to show them they were not to be taken as prey.

That had been an hour ago. After countless complaints from the 100 and native trikru alike, Lexa had finally announced that it was time for the entourage of thirty five to set out. 

Among the group were Lexa herself, Gustus, Anya, Raven, Octavia, Lincoln, Dax, Monty, Harper and multiple others Clarke felt no need to take particular note of. Nathan had insisted on staying, saying he wanted to help keep the newly adjusting trikru in check and that he could see his father after the initial meeting. Indra of course had stayed at TonDC, the city needing at least one high ranked person to stay behind and keep order. 

Clarke mounted Jorundr, the feisty horse she’d had since her time fighting at the Azgeda/Plain Riders border. It would be an 8 hour journey on foot so she was glad everyone going had either been given a horse or had their own. Making the journey a much shorter three hours. It would be tough for the 100 who were making the journey, of course they all had basic knowledge of riding a horse. It had been a skill quickly taught to them once they arrived at TonDC. On the other hand, they had no experience going extensive distances without break. She nearly smirked when she pictured the complaints Dax would be spewing tomorrow. 

Clarke trotted to the front of the formation where Lexa rode, Gustus not far beside her. Clarke made sure to keep a respectable distance away, the brunette still rightfully infuriated with the blonde. Clarke sighed and tightened her grip around her horse’s reins.

_ Think about something else.  _

They were able to pinpoint where the Ark had landed after a particularly skilled scout had climbed to the top of a very tall tree. She’d noticed that the large smoke cloud was coming from an area where there were no trees. It was quickly deduced that that area was one of the larger lakes where another Trikru village drew their water from. A travel route had quickly been decided on. There was thankfully a pre-established “road” -if you could call it that, it was more of a path- they could make their way to the lake on. 

Clarke blew a strand of hair out of her face as they continued, gently steering the creature beneath her. The village was beginning to fall behind them and the path they walked on grew slightly more narrow as the trees became denser around them. She kept on high alert, despite the many troubling thoughts flying through her brain. After all, the last thing they needed was a repeat of the earlier bandit incident. 

A striking realization hit her. She hadn’t had time to think about it while prepping for her journey -but now that she did- she realized, she’d be seeing her mother again. It was a slightly panic inducing thought, one she’d been thinking about whenever she’d had a free moment over the past week or so. During her time in Azgeda and when she’d been fighting with the Ingranrona, she’d accepted that she’d never see her mother again. Never see  _ anyone _ she cared for again. That had made it easier for her to lean into the Azgeda lifestyle. The harsh personality. The closing herself off. The killing. Now, she would have to face her mother. With the scars of battle, torture and Azgeda marking her body and face. What would Abby think? How would her mother react to the fact that Clarke was  _ literally _ the head assassin of an entire nation?

The people from the Ark already thought any type of killing that wasn’t done with the detachment of a gun or a space vacuum was messy and deeply frowned upon. So how would Abby react to the fact that she’d killed the amount of people she had? So many people that she didn’t bother having kill marks. 

She took a breath that was almost shaky before shaking herself slightly and refocusing on her path. She needed to stay focused. 

 

__________

  
  


Harper noticed that three hours went by very fast when you were focusing on trying to stay on a horse. The black haired animal below her had tried to throw her off at least thirteen times during the journey. In hindsight, maybe she shouldn’t have volunteered to go on this expedition. It wasn’t as if she had a parent she desperately wanted to see unlike some of the other newly incorporated Trikru. The thought quickly reminded her of the new Trikru marks that began at her forearm and that spiraled up to her shoulders. She wore them with pride. On the Ark, she’d gone from a child with loving parents then she’d gone to an orphan then she’d gone to a criminal. When they fell to Earth and Clarke came and established a proper camp, proper rules and a proper way to live, she’d finally felt like she was a part of something again. She felt even more pride when Clarke had quickly taken her in along with a few others from the Ark. A sort of “inner circle”.

Then, she’d joined Trikru. She’d taken the marks. It was official. No one could tell her she wasn’t a part of Trikru anymore. No one could call her an outsider. She had friends who cared for her and a clan she could fight for. 

She even had a Fos, a large dark skinned man who despite looking like he could break her using one hand, was extremely kind. His name was Lincoln. He was training her to be a scout and she was enjoying the training. He was firm but encouraging in his way of teaching. A smile flitted across her face, she understood why Octavia liked him so much. 

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard Dax call out to the group from where he rode beside Clarke.

“The Ark is in sight!” Harper realized while she’d zoned out that she hadn’t noticed the treeline abruptly stopping and the ground dropping right where the front of the group had stopped. She quickly stopped her horse and sat at attention, waiting for orders.

Finally, Lexa spoke up, “Trikru! We have arrived at the drop zone. Once we break past the treeline, we will set up a small camp in the likely case that we must stay here overnight. Three warriors will stay to watch the camp and horses, four others will go hunt for our dinner. The rest of us will be going to the wreckage of the Ark to meet their Leader and help in any way possible if the meeting goes well. Now, let’s get to work before the sun sets,” Lexa’s instructional speech was quick and to the point as it usually was and Harper could only admire her for it. No bullshit propaganda laced into her words like Jaha so often did. 

The horses quickly left the forested area into a long field on a hill. At the base of the hill she saw a looming structed dug into the earth. She saw people running around near the fallen structure from a distance and chuckled quietly to herself. If she looked past it, she saw a lake, the sunlight gleaming beautifully off it. She was going to go see the people who imprisoned her. Her old people. 

And there was nothing they could do now that she was free. 

Well, one thing-

“FREEZE!” Instantly all eyes snapped onto the four men wearing the guard’s uniform and holding guns up at the Trikru entourage. Kane stood slightly behind them, a pistol in his hand. 

They weren’t close and their aim couldn’t be great due to the lack of target practice on the Ark but Harper was confident if they moved for weapons that the dumbasses with guns would managed at least two or three lucky shots on them. She scowled, knowing that she definitely wouldn’t be able to move to take the spear and shield off her back without drawing attention. 

“State intentions!” Kane’s arrogant voice rang out above the tense silence. Harper glanced over to where Lexa, was standing she was their leader. Then her eyes drifted to Clarke. The blonde was her unspoken leader. She knew Clarke would know what to do in this situation. 

Harper was proven right as Clarke raised her hands above her head and spurred her horse forwards slightly, steering without her reins so she was facing the group of armed guards.

“My name is Clarke Griffin Kom Azgeda en Skaikru and I am here with Lexa kom Trikru, Commander of the twelve clans and her soldiers. We are here to talk peace! Put your weapons down Kane, don’t start this relationship with violence.” 

Several long moments passed, Kane seemed to be considering what she said and with every second, Harper noticed several Trikru getting more tense, more angry, their hands slowly drifting to their weapons. When she quickly looked at the Ark guards, she noticed them getting more restless, their bravado from before quickly fading. 

It was just when the guard to the far right’s finger drifted to the trigger of his gun the Kane finally spoke. 

“Stand down, men, I’d rather be having my discussions with the living.” 

It took a few more moments before the guards brought their guns down and Harper finally let herself breath. 

That had certainly been a rockier start than she’d hoped for.  
  
__________  
  
TRANSLATIONS   
  


Whoi souda ai tiech disha goufa? = Why must I teach this child?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Huh? Tell me what you think! I'm review starved.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoah I'm uploading a new chapter and it hasn't even been a full month! aren't y'all proud? i sure am.
> 
> sorry for any mistakes i have no beta and I wanna go talk with my s/o so no time to proof-read
> 
> enjoy!

Clarke handed her horse off to Markis, the man gave her a small nod as he lead her horse to the area they’d started grouping the horses. The small camp they’d set up hadn’t taken long to establish with all of them working together. The gona more skilled in hunting had already set out to search for their dinner as Lexa had instructed them to. Clarke took a breath to calm the thrumming of her nerves. Three of the men from before were still there, their guns not up but still gripped tightly in their hands. The fourth man had been replaced by a man Clarke recognized as Sergeant Scott. He’d always been a fair guard, always giving Clarke small smiles around the Ark before she’d been imprisoned. 

Now, his expression was grim and guarded. His grip on his gun was as tight as the other guards. Clarke tensed her jaw. The citizens of the guard would learn just as the 100 did. Just because they didn’t live by the same laws or in the same environment didn’t make them  _ savages _ as Bellamy had liked to call them. The thought of Bellamy made her stomach churn. What if there were others like Bellamy? Kane alone was arrogant enough to match Bellamy and he was in a position of power. Clarke only hoped that her mother would see reason and try and tame Kane. Jaha was a wild card. Clarke had thought he was kind, she was sure her father did too. But that didn’t stop him from sending Jake to his death and Clarke to prison, then later to Earth. He would be a wild card. 

Clarke glanced over at where Dax was talking with two Trikru Clarke recognized as Tolan and Michigana. The same two she’d seen him dancing with at the party. It was only a few moments before Harper and Monty made their way over, conversing and laughing with the group. Clarke smiled, glad they were integrating well. 

She was brought from her thoughts when Anya signalled her over to where she, Lexa and Gustus were standing. Clarke jogged over and stopped, nodding in greeting.

“Hei,” Clarke said, Anya repeated the greeting. The other two stayed stoically quiet. 

“Clarke, we will be going to the crash site in a few moments. Tolan, Octavia and Torrika will be staying at the camp while we’re gone. If all goes well, the hunters will have enough foresight to bright extra food back for our…” she trailed off, searching for the right word for the Arkers, “guests,” She finished finally. Clarke nodded, seeing no flaw in the plan. 

“Sounds good to me, we should get going now. I don’t like the way those guards are staring at us,” Clarke muttered, glancing at the armed men a two dozen or so feet away. Gustus grunted in agreement.

“Sha, they are untrained. Like a freshly marked gona, finally given their freedom. They would be too quick to violence,” Gustus said, contempt in his voice.

Clarke sighed, “They basically are fresh gona, Gustus. The most exciting thing they’d have to do on the Ark was break up an occasional fist fight. Chances are, they’ve never used those guns before in their lives,” She muttered darkly. Gustus and Anya exchanged glances and Lexa just kept staring at her.

“Clarke,” Lexa began, “I want you by my side in their. You know them best, you will assist me in this meeting,” Lexa looked displeased by the fact but said nothing more. Clarke nodded,

“Sha, Heda,” she muttered, her arms crossing across her chest, “Should we head out?” She glanced towards the Ark. They had begun erecting a small perimeter around the fallen ship, guards taking points around the edges as Skaikru began building a small fence. 

The Commander nodded, redrawing Clarke’s attention before stepping away from the group and calling out. 

“Gona! We head to the fallen ship now! Remember, these people are not armed and we are here for peace,” There were a couple grunts in response but other than that no one spoke. Lexa nodded, content that her message was received. 

Clarke made her way over to the guards who tensed as she walked closer,

“Alright Sergeant, take us to the council,” She said to Scott. He looked at the group that had gathered behind Clarke a final time before he signaled to the other guards to take formation,

“No more than six of you,” He said, waiting for their response. Gustus and Lexa bristled but Clarke nodded,

“Understood,” Clarke glanced at the group and then cocked her head at Lexa, “So who’re you bringing?”

Lexa’s brow furrowed and she looked around at her soldier’s.

“You and Gustus will come,” She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, “Aswell as Lincoln, Kodlak and Dax.” 

Clarke nodded and motioned a scout over, telling him to retrieve the three members of Trikru.

A few minutes later the three showed up, nodding at the Commander before falling silent.

Clarke looked at Sergeant Scott and nodded, he took the signal and turned, walking towards the looming structure that was the Ark. 

The only thing that could be heard were the loud steps of the Skaikru guards and the shuffling of the Trikru weapons against their furred clothes. 

Finally they reached close enough to the Ark that citizens were around them, their hushed voices not quite loud enough for the words to be made out. The looks of fear that the Arkers gave them made Clarke uneasy. It would be hard to cultivate peace with a group that feared them. Fear led to irrational decisions. Irrational decisions with grounders could get you killed, especially with the commander around.

Clarke huffed and squared her shoulders. It was unsettling to see all the familiar faces from the Ark, here on the ground. 

Sgt. Scott lead them through the largest door that was accessible and the blonde had to resist the urge to shudder as she entered the hallways of the Ark for the first time in over a year. Clarke glanced over at Lexa who had a tight expression on. She liked to think that over the time she’d spent with the 100 and Trikru she’d learnt to read a decent amount of the Commander’s expressions. If any of Skaikru looked at her they’d see a cool, indifferent expression. Clarke -and she imagined a few others that had entered with them- on the other hand could see the small muscle in her jaw working, her fists clenched tight at her side, the slight narrowing of her eyes that showed just how tense- no, just how ready to jump into action she was. Clarke glanced further back to the Trikru behind her and Gustus

Clarke slowed her pace ever so slightly so that she was next to the brunette. The girl tensed further when Clarke entered her personal space.

“You need to relax,” Clarke murmured under her breath, quiet enough that hopefully only Lexa heard, “The others are picking up on your tension and it’s making them nervous, nervous soldiers in foreign territory leads to mistakes. Lead by example.”

Lexa shot her a dark look, “Don’t tell me what to do,” The brunette snapped her mouth shut after realizing how juvenile her response sounded and Clarke gave her a withering look.

“Lexa, I’m trying to help,” She replied, keeping her voice even. The girl nodded and took a deep breath before relaxing her posture slightly and unclenching her fists. Clarke took her own deep breath, thankful that the conversation hadn’t escalated. 

They reach another door and two of the four guards turned to stand at the entrance as they walked through. Sgt. Scott and a bald man Clarke recognized as Denby took post at the exit of the room as the door closed behind them with a resounding clang. Clarke took in the room. Kane stood next to a woman Clarke new as Major Byrne. Their militaristic stance perfectly matching. The only difference being the rifle on a strap slung across Byrne’s chest. When Clarke shifted her gaze to the other person in the room her chest tightened and she took in a quick gasp of air. She quickly swallowed the reaction, trying to keep her expression neutral even as her mother’s eyes shifted from Lexa and onto Clarke. 

The exhaled, “Clarke,” Her mother let out went without response. The older Griffin didn’t move though, her expression seemed tight as her eyes scanned Clarke’s face and body. The silence went on for a long moment, each person measuring up the other’s worth. Finally after an agonizingly long amount of time where Clarke did an amazing job at avoiding Abby’s eyes, Kane spoke.

“So,” He sounded strained, “You must be the Commander,” He said, gesturing towards Lexa. She nodded,

“And you must be Marcus Kane,” She said, her tone much more even and unbothered than Kane’s. Kane moved forwards slightly, extending his arm to the younger leader in an attempt to shake hands.

Lexa, in grounder fashion, disregarded his hand and clasped his forearm. He let out a slightly startled noise before gripping back. 

“Hail, Marcus Kane of the sky people,” She said, her voice strong, resounding throughout the room. 

He simply nodded back as he stepped back, looking uncomfortable in the position of leadership. The thought made Clarke frown. He shouldn’t be in a position of leadership actually. Jaha was the Chancellor. 

“Where’s Jaha?” Clarke asked? She hadn’t seen him anywhere around the Ark and he certainly wasn’t hiding out somewhere in the room. Jaha liked to be annoying in person not through another person. 

The silence in the room seemed to deepen after her question. Her mother’s expression tightened and Kane looked down.

“Someone had to stay behind and activate the thrusters. He decided to be that someone,” Kane muttered, his voice full of sadness. Clarke nearly rolled her eyes. She’d be much more inclined to be sympathetic if he hadn’t sent her and 100 other children to a planet that was supposedly unsurvivable. 

“So what was with the hostile greeting? You should have expected us yet you almost filled the Commander’s troops with lead,” She said, crossing her arms as a scowl took place on her face.

It was Byrne who responded though, “Four guardsmen left to scout the forest after we landed-” Gustus let out an exasperated scoff at that and Clarke couldn’t help but agree with it. Why would anybody in their right mind send four of their soldiers into an unknown environment with lacking skills. She shot a glare at Gustus the continued, “They haven’t returned and they won’t respond when we try to radio them. We assumed it was one of them-” Her voice was full of venom when she nodded her head towards the others beside Clarke, “Who attacked them.”

The Trikru beside her bristled. Clarke shared the sentiment. This was getting off to a bad start. Then, Abby cut in.

“Not all of us, some of us,” She said, shooting a glare at Byrne, “Know that you aren’t our enemies,” Abby and Byrne glared at each other for a moment before Lexa cleared her throat, drawing their attention.

“I can assure you, my gona have orders not to initiate contact with Skaikru,” Lexa turned to Clarke, “Could it have been Azgeda?”

Clarke instantly shook her head, “Not this far into Trikru territory, the only reason Azgeda would be here would be to send a message to me and while one Azgeda messenger  _ might _ be able to take out four unarmed guards, I wouldn’t bet on the Azgedon against four armed guards,” Lexa hummed in response, “I could take some scouts and we could looked around the area once the hunters get back? See if we find them,” Lexa nodded,

“Nou, Lincoln na shoun emo. Ai gaf yu raun trap,” Clarke nodded,  
  
“Sha, Heda, na Harper gon kom emo?”

“Sha, em na ge os granplei,” Lexa said. Clarke nearly forgot that they were practically in hostile territory and she was ignoring everyone but the Commander’s presence. 

It was Byrne who got her attention, “English,” The blonde snapped, making Clarke roll her eyes. She did  _ not  _ like this woman. 

“Watch yourself when speaking to Heda, Skaikru,” Gustus growled, his hand settling on his sword. Clarke did not like how often she found herself agreeing with him today.

“Don’t tell me what to do Grounder,” The major replied, her voice raising slightly and her hands falling on her gun defensively. Gustus moved to step in front of Lexa and Byrne took the move as a threat, raising her gun and aiming it at Gustus.

Time seemed to freeze and pass in an instant, all at once. Clarke pulled a knife from her hip, shifting next to Gustus and in front of Lexa as she heard the rest of the Trikru pull their weapons. Sgt Scott and Denby raised their rifles as well, moving to surround the six as the two guards outside the door moved in, shock batons in their hands. Kane raised his pistol as well, aiming it at the grounders. 

Several shouts of outrage and warning came from both factions as Abby tried frantically to calm the groups down. Clarke let an animalistic snarl take over her face as she crouched into a more defensive stance, preparing to spring as the Major’s finger tightening infinitesimally over the trigger.   
  
Gustus seemed to notice it as well because Clarke felt him tensing beside her.

Unsurprisingly, it was Lexa’s voice that brought an end to the chaos.

“ENOUGH!” Her voice rang out through the room, overpowering the wordless shouts of both parties. 

It shocked them into silence but no one backed down. The Skaikru kept the weapons trained on them as their panicked expressions took over their face completely. Clarke and the others glanced at the Commander, waiting for orders. 

“Chil yu daun,” She snapped, her cold look enough to hold off any protests they might put up. One by one, they slowly sheathed their weapons, though they stayed tense. Gustus send Byrne a final hateful look before he sheathed his sword. 

“We are  _ not  _ enemies,” Lexa’s commanding voice rang through the room, “We are here to talk peace. Put away your weapons Skaikru,” She spoke aloud but her eyes focused on Kane, as if saying,  _ Keep your soldiers under control. _ Kane took a deep breath before speaking,

“Stand down,” He said, holstering his pistol. Byrne let out an outraged noise,

“Sir-”

“I said stand down!” He snapped, silencing her protests. She huffed and slung her rifle onto her back, nodding at the other guards who lowered their weapons. The two guards who’d been waiting outside looked around for a few moments before returning outside. Scott and Denby moved back to their spot at the door. Kane ran a tired hand through his wavy hair. His breath coming out shakier than Clarke thought he intended.

“I think- I think that’s enough for one night,” He muttered. Lexa narrowed her eyes at him before resuming her relaxed posture.

“Very well, I will have my gona build some fires and provide food for your people. The nights are long and cold without food and fire,” When Kane said nothing Abby stepped forwards,

“Thank you, Commander, we are grateful,” Her gaze drifted to Clarke for a moment before returning to Lexa, “Truly.”

Lexa just nodded, turning to Gustus and muttering something. The group turned to leave but Abby’s strained voice rang out,

“Clarke- I- Can we talk? Please?” Clarke turned slightly, finally meeting her mom’s eyes despite her nerves. The younger blonde glanced at the Commander who seemed to think for a moment before nodding.

“Sha, Dax, stay with Clarke,” He nodded and let out a grunt to signal his understanding. As the others left, he moved to Clarke’s side. 

“Alone?” Abby asked, her voice pleading. Kane glanced unsurely at Abby before gesturing at the Ark guards to clear out. As he walked by Abby he gave her a worried look,

“Radio if you need help,” Clarke didn’t like the way his gaze landed on Clarke as he said that, as if Clarke or Dax would do something to hurt Abby. As Clarke sent a glare at him, Kane walked out. 

“Dax can you wait outside?” Though it was phrased as a question, Dax knew better than to question her. He sent her a nod and clapped her on the shoulder before heading outside, following shortly behind Kane. 

When Clarke turned away from the door, Abby was much closer. She realized after a moment that since she’d last seen her mother, she’d passed her in height. The realization, no matter how pointless made her chest fill with anxiety. 

“Oh honey what did they do to you…” Abby trailed off, her whispered pity making Clarke’s stomach tense. 

The older woman reached to touch her face and Clarke flinched away form the touch. 

Abby let her hand fall away and Clarke couldn’t bear to meet her mother’s gaze, not wanting to see the hurt look on her face. 

“W-What happened to you, Clarke?” The woman asked, moving to sit down on a chair in the room. Clarke took a deep breath, moving to sit across from her. 

“It’s a pretty long shitty story, you sure you want to hear it?” She asked, hoping to avoid telling her entire sob story. The look Abby was giving her made her sigh. 

Of course she did. 

“Well it all started when I got sent to earth. Either the Ark’s mathematicians suck, or our ships suck because you sent me nowhere near where I was supposed to be. I ended up in the middle of a frozen fucking wasteland. My Radio was trashed and I wasn’t prepared in any way for the freezing cold of Azgeda territory. I wandered around for hours, definitely got frostbite, probably a minor form of hypothermia as well. Then, clearly attracted by the giant fucking spaceship falling from the sky, some Azgeda warriors captured me. They brought me to Queen Nia- She’s the one who rules Ice nation-”

“Right, so she’s the queen, is she more powerful than the Commander?” Her mother asked,

Clarke shook her head, “No, Heda is the big leader, she commands the twelve clans and everyone in them. Nia just leads Ice nation, one of the clans,” Abby gave an understanding nod and Clarke continued, “Nia and her asshole pet  _ Ontari _ tortured me for a while. Not exactly sure how long you know? Time passes weirdly when you’re trapped three storeys underground and are constantly unconscious,” She tried to put humour into her words but judging by the stricken expression on her mother’s face, it hadn’t worked. 

“Clarke I-”

“Don’t-” She murmured, “Just let me get through this,” Abby opened her mouth for a moment before nodding.

“So I was tortured for a while before Nia decided that I really didn’t have any information to give. I was hoping they’d just kill me. They didn’t. I was given a luxurious “Room” in the palace. It was basically just an upgraded cell. I wasn’t allowed to leave, a guard stood outside my door at all times and all my meals were delivered to me. But I was thankful to have a proper bed, warm clothes and three hot meals a day. It took me about a month but I finally started recovering from the physical effects of the torture. The malnutrition, the cuts, burns and such. I was still weak, but I was getting better. That’s when Nia shipped me off to the border war. When this had happened, Azgeda and Boudalan were the only two clans who had yet to join the coalition so Azgeda was still fair game to attack in the Commander’s eyes- and attack they did,” Clarke tried not to think too much of her time at the border war. It had been a brutal training process. She’d seen a lot of friends die there.

“Ingranrona’s king, Caius thought we had too much land and decided he wanted more of it. So he started a war with us by burning one of our border villages down. By the time Nia sent me down there, the war had been going on for about two months. I was sent to an outpost and taken as a Seken -that’s their word for mentee here- by the outpost’s captain. It was a brutal war. It’s where I got my first kill marks. My only kill marks, really,” 

Abby frowned for a second before letting out a choked noise,

“You’ve killed people?” Abby sounded shocked and Clarke let out a bitter laugh. If only she knew. 

“Just let me finish mom,” Clarke said, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to disguise their shaking, “The captain there, Yusur, he was a good teacher. An even better man. I stayed there for about four months. It was a rough time. I nearly died near the end, we were betrayed by one of our own,” Clarke shook her head, “Doesn’t matter now. When Azgeda joined the coalition the war was ended and I was given my warrior marks right before I returned to the capitol,” She traced the thick scars on her face as she spoke, a habit thought she lost a while ago.

“That’s what your scars are from?” Her mother asked, her expression slightly horrified, “They mutilated you just to prove you were one of them?”

Clarke shrugged, “And we shot people into space for the crime of having more than one child,” She shrugged, “Every culture has different evils they normalize.”

Abby looked like she wanted to say something in protest but Clarke plowed on, “Once I returned Nia replaced Yusur as my Fos and trained me in a different way. See, I was a good soldier, a great one, but I was always great at sneaking up on my buddies at the outpost. Yusur must have reported it to Nia because she personally started training me for a more stealthy route. For what I guess was about ten or eleven months she trained me to be stealthy. To kill in the dark. Azgeda’s head assassin helped a decent amount. After that time Nia raised me to her head assassin. About a month or so ago, Nia sent me to Polis -the coalition’s capitol- to serve Heda. A sort of peace offering. That’s about it,” She said with a shrug, not including the part where Clarke was more of a wolf in sheep’s clothing than a peace offering. 

Abby opened and closed her mouth a few times before speaking, “You’re the head assassin of an entire nation?” Clarke winced at the description, this wasn’t gonna be pretty, “You’re a killer? Clarke I raised you to heal people! You were going to be a doctor!” Abby said, her voice raising in pitch as she stood up, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, I  _ was _ going to be a doctor. Before you and the council decided to drop me down to earth alone, without help and in the wrong location,” Clarke’s scathing reply made Abby flinch. To blame what Clarke had become on Abby wasn’t necessarily fair but Clarke figured fair flew out the window when Clarke did- well it was more of a hatch, logistics. She mentally shrugged and fixed her cold stare on Abby. It would do no good to get close with Abby again. If all went well Abby and the rest of Skaikru would join the coalition so when Clarke finally moved against Lexa, they’d be safe and protected. Then Clarke would return to Azgeda. It was easier to continue not being close with her mother so she wouldn’t have to separate from her once again.

“We done? I have a camp to help run,” She snapped out, perhaps harsher than she intended to. Abby gaped at her for a moment before nodding. Clarke nodded sharply before turning, clenching her hands to hide the small tremors and left. When she walked out, she nodded at Dax, signaling for him to follow her. 

“Let’s go, Dax,”

“How’d it go?”

When Clarke failed to answer for a few moments he snorted, “That bad huh?”   
  
Clarke just let out a small chuckle,

“Yeah, something like that.”   
  


\----------

 

TRANSLATIONS  
  
Hei = Hey/Hello  
Sha = Yes  
Nou, Lincoln na shoun emo. Ai gaf yu raun trap, = No, lincoln will lead the group. I need you at camp  
Sha, Heda, na Harper gon kom emo? = Yes, Commander, will Harper go with them?  
Sha em na ge os granplei = Yes, she could use the training  
Chil yu daun! = Stand down!  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so? eh? what'd you think? leave me reviews they feed my starving soul.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know it has been a long time.
> 
> Yes I know there are probably spelling errors.
> 
> Yes I am sorry.
> 
> Lmao but nah really school and work are kicking my ass into a bad shape and I'm trying to survive and shit so updates aren't great but at least I got a chapter up for the first time in months!!

Lexa sat in the war tent that a gona had erected while she was inside the crashed ship and played with her dagger. She listened as Clarke and Anya argued in front of her.

“Anya, they’re scared they need adjust!” Anya laughed at the statement,

“Right and once we all have bullets in us they’ll finally start adjusting,” She snapped, no trace of the laugh in her voice.

“That’s not fair and you know it! They did what Byrnes did because she’s their superior! Many of them have no fear or prejudice against Trikru. You cannot condemn the wrong of few on the many!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

“For all the cruelty Nia taught you, you are a naive girl, Wanheda,” Anya said, stepping towards Clarke with a snarl on her face, “You are as foolish as the skaikru who wave their guns around like toys -if not more! If you believe that the majority of them do not believe themselves superior to us! They are no different than the maunon and you are a more stupid than I thought if you believe otherwise!” She said, shoving her finger in the shorter woman’s face. Clarke let out a growl and went to step closer to Anya.

“Anya, enough! Go calm yourself down and check if the hunters have returned,” Lexa said, leaving no room for discussion. The older woman sent Clarke a final glare -that Clarke returned harshly- before walking out. Clarke’s shoulders slumped,

“I do not need you to fight my battles for me, Commander,” The blonde said, her voice low.

“I am not fighting your battles for you, Wanheda. I am calming my General so she doesn’t skewer my assassin,” She replied, a hint of a smirk on her lips. Clarke rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “Is it safe to assume you didn’t worsen our terms with Skaikru when I left you with your mother?” Lexa asked, the question only half joking.

Clarke let out a low laugh, “Yeah, we should be okay,” She said, seeming nervous as she spoke. The nervous energy seemed to dampen her light demeanor. Clarke noticed the way her expression turned serious and squared her shoulders, “I have nothing else to report, Heda, if that’ll be all,” She turned to leave and Lexa sighed, not quite understanding why she was about to do what she was about to do.

“Clarke, hod op,” She said, her voice low. The girl stopped and turned to face her,

“Sha?” Her face betrayed no emotion. The only way she could tell Clarke was worried was by the muscles working in her jaw and temple ever so slightly. Lexa sighed,

“I have not forgiven you Clarke, I imagine I never will in this case,” The blonde seemed to flinch at the words. It was just barely visible, “But, we are expected to work together. You will play a large part in this peace with the Skai people. I will need you. So-” She inhaled, swallowing her ever simmering anger before continuing, “We will be on good terms. I may not have forgiven you, but I will forget for now.”

Clarke nodded looking as though her thoughts were elsewhere, “Understood.”

The silence between them lasted only a few moments before Lexa stood as well. 

“Let us go confirm if the hunters have returned or not. I’m sure the gona are hungry.” 

Clarke nodded, “I need to check up on Octavia, being back near these people can’t be easy on her.

The two women shared a look before leaving the tent, walking in opposite directions.

 

__________

  
  


Harper walked about five feet to Lincoln’s right. The rest of the gona who’d been assigned to sweep the forest had split off until all that remained on the trail of the footprints were her and Lincoln. She was to stay with him, unlike the others, as he was her Fos.

He held his hand up, signalling for her to stop.

“Look around us, what do you notice,” She looked at him for a moment before switching her gaze to the forest surrounding them. 

As untrained as her eyes were, it wasn’t completely impossible to see the traces of Skaikru around her. From the broken chest height branches to the displaced stones on the ground. But what really caught her eye was glinting metal on the ground. It didn’t take her long to realize she saw multiple pieces on the ground all scattered around the same area.

She moved towards Lincoln and crouched down, grabbing one of the rifle shells. 

She looked at it for a moment before holding it higher up in the air to show him. He nodded, a smile on his face.

“Good, what else do you see.” She grinned at the praise before turning back to the forest. She crouched down again, looking further at the ground. He stood silently, letting her observe for a few minutes before she grew frustrated.

She stood up and shrugged, “Besides the trial we’ve been following I don’t notice anything.” He nodded at her response, crouching down and beckoning her to his level.

“Look at the prints ahead of us and look at the print five feet back,” He said, nodding at them as he spoke. She observed them, noticing the prints ahead were deeper, especially where the toe sank.

“They’re deeper,” He grinned,

“Exactly,” He stood to full height again, pointing forwards, “The increased depth of the prints up ahead imply running, as do the longer spaces between the prints. So, there’s an empty bullet casing on the ground and they’re running. What does this tell us?”

“They were attacked then ran away?”

“Sha,” Lincoln murmured, looking thoughtful, “That or they were chasing something.” Harper nodded, neither of those seemed like good options.

“Which option do we prefer right now?” Lincoln shrugged,

“It depends who they might have been chasing and I don’t think an animal could take out three armed guards. It doesn’t look good either way.” Harper swallowed roughly. 

It definitely wasn’t a great situation. 

She looked to Lincoln as she heard the hunting horn sound. He sighed and looked at the trail a final time before looking at Harper.

“Return to camp, tell Anya what we have found and eat. You have done well, Seken.” 

Harper nodded,

“Mochof, Lincoln, ste klir.” He grinned at her use of Trigedasleng and nodded before turning to continue following the tracks. 

Harper sighed and turned towards the camp.

She could use some food.

 

__________

  
  


After the hunting party returned, about fifteen or so Trikru including Octavia made their way to the Skaikru camp. Being near the looming structure brought her a large amount of unease but she pushed through it. She was free now. It didn’t matter. 

They’d skinned and filleted the two deer they’d caught and after a couple fires had been set up, the hunters began cooking it. With about three hundred Skaikru to feed the two deer should be enough. If it wasn’t they’d left one at the Trikru camp for those who chose to stay and guard it.

Now Octavia sat with Monty on her left, he was talking to a Skaikru teen. Harper on her right and a fire in front of her. Across from her, the Commander sat, talking to Indra. Despite how ansty the guards and higher ups seemed to be around the grounders, many of the citizens and children were happy to eat and sit by the fires with them. 

Though it couldn’t be said for all of them, it was better than what she’d expected. Better than how it had gone at the dropship. At least here, no one was being downright hostile. 

So Octavia smiled as she chewed on her piece of venison, listening to Harper talk about her searching in the forest with Lincoln. 

“It was so cool! He’s so observant and like…” She trailed off as she chewed, “I got it too? Like it made sense to me. I wasn’t just blindly following his lead I was able to notice the things that made the path clear. Things that I literally wouldn’t have seen when we landed,” She sounded so enthusiastic that Octavia laughed, bowing her head with the action.

“Yeah I get that feeling- like, when I finally got that parry Indra’d been trying to teach me, I freaked out,” She paused, “Though she did punch me in the nose for breaking focus,” She cracked a grin and Harper let out a laugh.

Her gaze was drawn away from the other girl when she heard some cheers broke out near one of the other camp fires. She saw Raven toss an Axe in Dax’s direction as they moved away from the fire. Dax caught it from the air with a grin.

“Alright, pretty boy, let’s see how well Clarke’s managed to train you,” She grinned and pulled the four foot staff from her back. She still had bruised to prove how much the iron tipped staff could hurt when she hit you with it. 

It definitely wasn’t a weapon Octavia would’ve originally considered deadly in combat. But, after feeling the blunt metal against her ribs, shoulders and back, she knew it could deal plenty of damage to an unprotected head.

Dax barked out a laugh, “Her training has yet to fail me,”

“Uhuh-” Clarke’s voice rang out over theirs, “Don’t you put your loss on me, Dax,” She turned to Raven, “His actions, not mine.” She raised her hands over her head to emphasise the words.

“Loving your faith in me, Griffin,” He snarked, adjusting his grip on his axe as a ragged circled formed around them. It mainly comprised of the Trikru but a few Skaikru joined the ranks to watch.

Then began the slow dance of battle.

They circled each other, their eyes never straying from the other’s.

But Raven had the patience that came with being a seasoned warrior and had had a year and a half to dispel the restless energy that living on the Ark embedded in your bones. 

Clearly it was still in Dax because his impatience finally got the better of him and he advanced.

He swung his axe in a downwards-diagonal slashing motion towards Raven that she had no trouble catching with her staff. She moved with his hit, absorbing the impact before shifting her feet and shoving back.

She used the motion to extend her left arm further and the rough iron of the staff connected with the taller boy’s shoulder as he stumbled back. She grinned, hopping back to her previous position and they began circling again.

“Come on Dax, you gonna let me hit you that easy?” Raven taunted, twirling her staff in her hands.

Octavia rolled her eyes when Dax bared his teeth at the taunt. It was clearly a method to get him to react. The brunette was sure that had it been Octavia in the fight and Dax watching, he would’ve thought the same thing.

“Chil au, Dax, she’s taunting you,” Clarke’s voice rang through the circle, Raven pouted and turned to look at the blonde,

“Don’t spoil my fun, Clarke.”

Dax took her distraction as an opportunity to move in. He swung at her head. She ducked low under the swing and her staff shot out, catching him in the ribs. Octavia winced.

She heard sympathetic intakes of breath and whoops of cheering from the crowd that was growing around them. 

In the time it took for that to happen, Raven stood up fully inside his guard, chest inches away from his. 

The close proximity and the length of her staff didn’t allow for her to hit him so she slammed her forehead into the bridge of his nose.

He stumbled backwards, reeling from the hit and she advanced on him.

It was a curious thing to watch. It made her think of that old earth documentary where the lioness injured her prey and watched it try and run before descending on it for the killing blow. 

After a few seconds of watching him try and regain his footing she had mercy on him, swiping his feet out from under him. 

He hit the ground with a groan.

Octavia sighed at the defeated noise. 

Raven grinned and gave a small flourish with her staff before bowing,

“Anyone else?”

A seasoned Trikru warrior stepped forwards and Raven grinned,

“There we go, a real challenge,” She said in Dax’s direction, a teasing grin on her face. He snorted, climbing to his feet with the help of a Trikru boy -Tolan, she believed was his name. Octavia gave Harper a nod and moved over to where Dax and Tolan had moved. Out of the spotlight and near a fire further from the newly engaged fight. Octavia watched Dax say something and pout as she moved over to them. Tolan’s head tipped back and he leaned against Dax as he tried to keep his laughter under control. His curly brown hair falling around his neck and ears as he laughed. 

“-Oh yeah, keep laughing tree boy, you might wake up without your precious hair if you keep it up,” Despite Dax’s scowl Tolan let out another howl of laughter and slapped his knee.

“Do not be bitter, lukot! Loss is a part of becoming a better warrior,”He placed a hand on the tall boy’s bicep. Dax softened at that, his scowl dampening slightly, “Next time, you will last a minute instead of forty five seconds!” 

With that the boy was laughing again and Dax had readopted his scowl. 

Octavia grinned as she finally reached them,

“Hey boys, sorry to interrupt, just wanted to see if that nose of yours could use some looking at?” She questioned raising a brow and nodding at Dax.

“Not at all!” Tolan replied to her apology, “I’ve gotta run anyways,” He clapped Dax on the shoulder, ignoring the glare Dax sent his way.

He left towards one of the more occupied fires where Michigana sat. She was prodding at it and showing a Skaikru woman how to keep the fire alive.

“So,” Octavia trailed off, a grin growing on her face as Dax focused his attention on her, “Tolan, huh?” 

Dax snorted, crossing his arms even as he shook his head.

“Tolan and Michigana are already bonded. I wouldn’t come between that. Besides, he’s happy with her. She’s happy with him.”

“Oh I'm sure. But they both seemed quite happy with  _ you _ the other night while you were dancing.” Dax snorted and looked away. Octavia rolled her eyes in response, bumping her shoulder into his lightly, “Life isn’t so monogamous as it was on the Ark down here.”

When Dax only shrugged in response Octavia nodded, “Alright, I can take a hint. Just…Try. You deserve at least that.” She stopped for a moment, picking her words, “We all deserve a little happiness.” He looked at her after that and grinned.

“You’re too wise for your age, you know that?” He ruffled her hair, prompting an indignant squeak from her. She shoved his arm away.

“Back up and sit down beast man, let me look at your nose.” 

He nodded and moved back, sitting on a log. 

Octavia moved forwards, not having to crouch much to look at the taller boy’s nose from where he sat.  
  
She held his face gently and tilted his head every which way. After a few moments of examining she nodded.

“It looks like it’ll be alright. Don’t think it’s broken. Mind you I’m no doctor so maybe Clarke should look at it.” She said with a shrug. He gave her an annoyed look.

“Thanks O, I’ll make sure to take care of my maybe broken nose.”

And as if summoned by her name, Clarke stopped next to Octavia moments later and gave Dax a one over.

“Well, you’re lucky she didn’t break your nose,” She said, shaking her head, “Fio is training you better than that.  _ I  _ trained you better than that. You’ve got to keep a cool head when you’re fighting or people like Raven will slip through your guard every time, understood?” He nodded and Clarke smiled, “Good. Have you managed to see your mother?” She asked, her voice changing to one that was much softer. Octavia knew it was reserved for her closer friends. Herself, Miller, Monty, Harper, Charlotte -The thought still made her heart ache- and one time Lexa. That had been confusing. Clarke was probably just tired though. 

Dax sighed and looked down, “Nah, I talked to Kane earlier. Apparently she came down in another station and they haven’t heard anything from any of them yet,” His voice was tight when he spoke, the emotions he was trying to contain only barely shining through, “She could be dead for all we know. They could all be dead.” He shook his head and ran his hand through his short blonde hair.

Octavia’s heart went out for the boy.

“Don’t give up hope yet Dax, It’s only been a few days. We’ll find them.”

He nodded and gave her a smile.

It was weak and not all there but it was real nonetheless. 

She was glad that despite everything that had been happening. Despite the unease that being near the Ark and it’s people brought her. 

She was glad she had her friends. Her Fos. Her Kru. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review!!!!!! really though reviews motivate me to continue these stories. All the comments I've gotten over the past few months despite the story being inactive really did push me to keep writing. Even if it was little by little.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shits finally pickin up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey sorry it's been a while since I've posted I literally work directly after school every fucking day and it's exhausting. but here enjoy. were done with filler chapters guys. Entering our first action arc. 
> 
> candles with marks set every inch to mark twenty minute intervals have been recorded being used in china as early as 520 AD and it would make sense to be used to tell time in a society that doesn't have clocks etc. You will understand.  
> One candlemark = twenty mins

Clarke was walking through the forest to meet up with Lincoln. The previous night had passed without incident but Lincoln had returned after the hunters. Stating that the tracks continued for a ways and he didn’t want to stray too far alone.The Commander had told her that he needed a fully trained pair of eyes further along the trail. So she followed the footprints in the mud.

It was then that she saw the smudged handprint in white pain along a tree. The print caught her attention immediately. 

_ Azgeda _

She walking up to the tree and touched the white paint. Her finger came away covered in it. 

Her jaw clenched as she looked into the trees behind it and saw it again about ten trees down. 

This pattern continued for about five minutes of walking until she came unto a small clearing. 

Standing against the tree in the clearing was none other than Echo.

Of fucking course it was.

“Wanheda, it took you long enough. I have been waiting here nearly a full candle mark.” She had a haughty smirk on her face as she uncrossed her arms. 

“What do you want Echo, by your indication I have already been missing too long.” She snapped, crossing her own arms in response.

“I simply want to know if you have gotten weak, lost your touch. Or rather, your skill.” 

Clarke stepped closer to her and pointed a finger.

“Remember who you are speaking to, you forget your place.” She snapped, prodding the finger into the other girl’s chest. The blonde swatted her hand away.

“It is you who forgets her place,” She shook her head, “Are you not Wanheda? Ripa kom kwin Nia? Kom Azgeda? You have been with The Commander-” She took a moment to spit on the ground at the name, “for nearly a full moon and you have yet to make a single attempt on her life! Where is Wanheda, who commands fear and death!? Why have you not yet killed the Goufa-Heda?” She snarled, stepping into Clarke moving to push her.

Clarke growled, an animalistic sound and grabbed Echo’s wrist, twisting it up and behind her back. 

“I will forgive your brash words and thoughtless assault because we fought together during the border war but do not continue with that sentence which insinuates any traitorous intentions on my part and do not forget your rank, gona.” She snapped into the other woman’s ear, twisting her wrist a bit more. The movement drew a hiss from Echo and Clarke finally let go.  

Echo glared but tipped her head.

“Moba Wanheda.” 

Clarke nodded, “Why do you think I have made no attempts on the Commander?”

Echo shrugged, rubbing at her wrist “All of Azgeda’s spies in Polis report to me. They would notice something as big as an attempted assassination.”

Clarke nods, “So why are you here?”

“Nia grows impatient, Klark. She sent you because she wanted results. Yet you show none. She also knows that the rest of your people have come from the sky and wants to know whether they will be a threat to Azgeda or not.”

Clarke shook her head, ignoring the first reason, “If all goes well they will join the coalition as the 13th clan. Skaikru.”

Echo’s lip curled.

“ _ If all goes well _ ,” She said mockingly, “Being exposed to no clan but Trikru like this will bias them against Azgeda. You know Trikru hate us.”

“I know well that they do. Why do you think I am here? I will not let them so blindly follow Trikru’s lead.” Echo nodded at the response.

“Good. What of the ship that fell weeks ago?” She questioned.

She couldn’t tell Echo of the newly integrated delinquents. Nia would be furious of Clarke’s part in the matter.

“Skaikru soldiers sent ahead to see if earth was livable. None of importance.” Echo nodded again.

“Good. But your silver tongue will not be enough to sway their thoughts on those feeding them. We can not have Skaikru be sided with Trikru after you kill The Commander. When the coalition inevitably falls we could use their firepower on our side -or at least against Trikru. Be ready when the moon reaches its highest.”

Clarke’s brow furrowed, “What do you mean be ready?” Echo simply smirked.

“It is time for action, Klark.”

“Echo you are not to do anything to compromise my position, is that understood? Stay in the shadows. That is an order,” She snapped. Echo shrugged.

“You may be superior but there are those superior to you, still. I do not take orders from you, Wanheda.” With that she turned to leave the clearing. 

“Echo if you jeopardize my position I will show you the wrath of Wanheda!” She snarled stepping close to the other woman.

Echo simply shrugged, “Be ready.” With that, she turned and left the clearing. Leaving Clarke worried and more worked up than ever.

“Fucking Echo.” She muttered, turning to return to the tracks she was supposed to be following.

 

__________

  
  


Abby rubbed a tired hand across her face -barely holding back a groan- as Byrne spoke again.

“They are  _ savages _ !” She slammed her fist onto the table, “They fight with swords and bows! They branded our children! They even mutilated your daughter’s face!” She gestured at Abby who shook her head and crossed her arms.

“Even if I disapprove of some of their… practices,” She said hesitantly, “Clarke has vouched for them. She says she trusts them and their Commander and if she trusts them we have to at least attempt an alliance with them.” She said decisively.

Byrne threw her hands in the air in exasperation,

“I’m sure victims of stockholm syndrome trust their captors after nearly two years of captivity too!” 

Kane sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “Byrne, accusing Clarke of having stockholm syndrome is a bit excessive is it not?”

“What about our children?” She demanded, “Some of them are barely 15 yet the savage’s commander claims they aren’t ours anymore? They’re part of the clans now? Says who? They’re fucking minors! All of them. That’s why they were here before us. They can’t consent to anything until they’re 18. By our laws the only ones who can chose to be there without parental consent are Raven and Clarke.”

“No Byrne, you’re wrong. That’s not why they’re here. They’re here because men like Jaha valued their own life more than their children’s lives.” She sent the rest of the council standing around the table scathing looks, landing her glare on Kane.

“You voted to get rid of our children once already. Are you willing to do it again by starting a war we can’t win?”

Kane clenched his jaw, working the muscles for a few moments. Finally he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

“No, no I’m not willing to do that.” He straightened up again, “Byrne, you’re off the squad overlooking the negotiations.” 

A thunderous expression crossed her face and she opened her mouth to protest but he held his hand up, silencing her.

“Don’t argue on this Major. You’re too biased on the matter.” She closed her mouth, fury clear in her eyes, “Go get me Sgt Miller. He’ll be taking over your position.” 

The blonde woman saluted.

“Yes sir,” She said grudgingly, turning on her heel and leaving the room.

“Thank you, Marcus,” She said, true appreciation seeping into her voice.

“Don’t thank me yet, Abby. This is not a definite alliance. This is a chance.”

 

__________

  
  


Raven leaned into Anya as they ate. Bear wasn’t her favourite but when the hunters went through the trouble to kill it, they ate it. Besides, it fed many people and they definitely had to feed many people. Very few people were still up. They’d put out all the fires except the one they sat at. Clarke sat across from them, on the other side of the fire. Monty and Miller sat beside her, talking quietly amongst themselves. Clarke had been acting curiously since she returned with Lincoln. They had found the end of the tracks. The scene was reportedly gruesome. Large amounts of blood splattered on rocks, then two sets of tracks leading away. One of the tracks, boots. The other pair? Tires. 

It explained the attack and lack of response. Of course the mountain men would be attracted to the crash site. The question was, were any of them lingering around? There was no doubt they had wanted to kill Lexa around the time Clarke had arrived. Going as far as to dispatch an assassination party. Was that still their main goal?

“Hush,” Anya said, confusing Raven.  
  
“What?”

“Your thoughts,” She said, “They are loud. Take the time to enjoy peaceful moments in this time of unease.” 

Raven raised a brow at her wife, “Don’t get poetic with me, Anya, you know it’s annoying.”

Anya rolled her eyes in response, “Shof op, you have the mental complexity of a goufa.”

“ _ You have the mental complexity of a goufa _ ,” Raven parroted back, her voice taking on a whiny attitude, “That’s what you sound like.”

Anya rolled her eyes again, “Mockery is not the product of a strong mind,” 

Raven groaned, leaning heavily into Anya, “Please shut up, I hear that enough from Lexa in Polis.”

“You’d think you’d have heard it so many times it’d have sunk in, hmm?” She teased, pushing into Raven with her shoulder. They were silent for a few moments before Anya spoke again, “In all seriousness, what has you looking worried, hodness?”

“Everything that Lincoln and Clarke found. Not to mention the fact that this is the most unnerved I’ve seen her since I found out who she really was…” She trailed off watching Clarke for a few moments before continuing more quietly, “She keeps looking around her like she’s expecting something…” She shrugged, “But I don’t know. She’s probably just freaked out about being back around her mom. I’d be scared as fuck if I had to help arrange a peace treaty between armies with my mom. Then again, maybe that’s because she was a raging alcoholic who’d sell me away for a sip of liquor.” 

Anya sighed, “Do not speak of the wretched woman. I am just grateful she birthed you so you could come to me.” 

Raven ducked her head, a grin and blush building on her face.

“You say the sweetest things.”

Anya seemed about to reply but stopped and looked forwards as Clarke stood abruptly. She glanced towards the forest, her gaze lingering before she turned towards Lexa’s tent and set off with determination. 

“Should we go after her?” Raven asked, looking worried.

Anya shook her head, “Nou, Lexa will deal with her now.”

Raven nodded, laying her head on the other woman’s shoulder.

 

__________

  
  


Lexa studied the terrain map in front of her. They could afford to give away the land that the Ark had landed on and the small lake nearby as well as a bit of the forest. As long as they placed a tax on the produce Skaikru made it would not cause an outrage with Trikru. Equal exchange. She nodded softly, shifting the string wall she had been using to make borders.

Clarke’s voice could suddenly be heard.

“Gustus are you going to insist on stopping me everytime I try and get into her tent?”

Lexa sighed. Those two never stopped fighting.

“Yes.”

“It’s stupid every time you do it she always lets me-”

“Gustus let her pass.” She called from where she stood. She heard a huff, a celebratory chuckle and then the ruffling of curtains.

The flaps of her tent opened and Wanheda stepped through.

“Heda,” She bowed her head.

Lexa nodded, “What is it, Clarke?”

The girl paused for a moment before letting out a noise.

“I have a bad feeling about tonight.” 

Lexa frowned, “What is tonight Clarke?”

The other girl huffed again. “No. Nothing’s tonight,” She replied quickly, “I just- I don’t know it’s too quiet. In Azgeda the only time it is not bustling with activity is right before you’re ambushed or when you’re dead.”

“What are you trying to say Clarke, you think someone means to ambush us?”

Clarke shook her head, “No- I don’t know.” She slammed her fist against the table between them in frustration, clearing searching for words. Lexa raised a brow.  
  
“I have never seen you this worked up, Clarke, what is bothering you?” Lexa was perplexed, the blonde was acting unusually. The complete opposite of the composed assassin she’d first met. 

“Everybody is asleep. When I came here there were four people left around the fires- it’s unusual!”

“Clarke the sun has been down for nearly six candle marks. It is not so unusual for people to be bed at this time on nights where no celebrations take place.”

Clarke shook her head, her jaw so tight her lips looked sewn shut.

“Just- put extra guards out. If nothing comes of tonight I will apologize and put it down to lack of sleep. Something just feels  _ wrong _ .” She said, a near desperate tone entering her voice. Lexa eyed her for a moment before nodding. 

“Very well. Send Gustus in on your way out. You are dismissed.” She raised her hand to reinforce the command. Clarke exhaled at the words and nodded.

“Sha, Mochof, Heda.” Lexa nodded. With that the girl turned and left, murmuring something to Gustus. Then her voice was gone, chased away by the sound of her retreating steps.

 

__________

  
  


Clarke sat against the trunk of a tree, her legs dangling over the other sides of the low hanging branch. It’d been a while since she’d pulled a full overnight watch but despite Lexa’s reassurance, she wanted to stay up. She would be there if Echo pulled anything. She couldn’t afford for this to compromise her-  _ you mean you can’t afford to lose your new friends _ . She couldn’t afford for anything happening to Skaikru.  _ You mean your mom _ . She couldn’t afford to be caught unaware-  _ You’re not going to be able to save them all and stay loyal to the Azgeda citizens you swore to protect. _

_ How can you protect them if the one definite order you have will start a civil war if followed? _

She turned her head abruptly. Looking to the last embers of the fire in the middle of the Trikru camp. She focused on the glowing coals, trying to tune into the way the remains of the logs would pop, sending sparks into the air. She looked away and blinked, looking around the perimeter of the Trikru encampment. She spotted two Trikru immediately, patrolling at opposite ends of the camp, so was the advantage of her high position on top of the hill and in a tree. If she looked over to the wreckage of the Ark she could see two men with rifles standing by the gates of the fence they’d began constructing from metal debris. It looked pretty decent for only a days work. It wouldn’t stop an attack. Probably wouldn’t even stop a persistent rabbit but it established a perimeter and it made Skaikru feel safe.  
  
She sighed.

Maybe Echo was just trying to mess with her? Maybe nothing was going to happen but Nia had sent her to spur Clarke into action. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, feeling a bone aching tiredness set in. It had really been a long few weeks. 

Maybe she could rest. It wouldn’t be that harmful. 

Besides, Lexa had sent out three extra guards. One of whom Clarke knew was watching from a similar position as her further to her right and two of whom were hidden from Clarke’s view somewhere. 

Just a little bit of sleep.

Just as her eyes began to grow heavy, a light came into existence to her right. She blinked a few times and glanced over to the source.

Further down the treeline she saw as a light sat slightly above the ground.

She furrowed her brow and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she squinted to get a better look. Suddenly the fire was raised into the air.

“What the hell…” She couldn't see the area around it. Just the flame. What  _ was _ that?

The fire was drawn back and then sent into the air like a projectile-

_ An arrow _

Time seemed to slow for Clarke. Her blood turned to ice as she tracked the arrow from the sky. She knew where it was going. Either into one of Skaikru’s tents of-

Right into the chest of one of the guardsmen at the gate.

It connected with a thud, the fire quickly catching on his uniform and lighting him ablaze. But he had already hit the floor, dead.

His partner looked over as soon as it hit. A look of pure unadulterated terror crossed his face. The shadows the fire on his partner lit on his face turned his expression ghoulish, looking like some haunted figure from the old world’s mythology. 

It didn’t last long as Clarke noticed a man grab him from behind. One hand over his mouth, the other slipping a knife across the skin of his neck.

The second guard fell next to the original who was steadily burning. 

It was with that fire’s light that she was able to see the man who’d slit his throat was wearing Trikru colours and paint. 

“FRAG EMO OP!” The man in Trikru clothes shouted with an Azgeda accent. The words could be heard across the entire field, echoing all the way up to Clarke’s ears.    
  
As soon as they’d been said five other gona burst from the treeline where the arrow had been sent from.

_ This is what Echo was warning me about. _

It was with that thought that Clarke jumped down from the tree, and charged at the attacking warriors.

 

 

**Translations**

 

Ripa kom kwin Nia? Kom Azgeda? = Assassin of Queen Nia? Of Ice Nation?

Goufa-Heda = Child Commander

Moba = Apologies

Shof op = Shut up

Goufa = Child

Hodness = Love

Nou = No

Sha, Mochof = Yes, Thank you

Frag emo op! = Kill them all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'already know I had to end it on a cliffhanger
> 
> enjoy waiting for the next one
> 
> leave me comments and shit I was motivated to finish this chapter by a comment i got today so every one helps, even if i don't respond
> 
> tumblr @lgbtdvisy  
> twitter @bgltdaisy


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i rewrote this like eight times and decided I was just gonna post it like this. ik it's short my bad next time will be better.

Clarke reached the closest attacker as two others began scaling the wall around the Ark. Her knife made quick work of him, spilling his guts out and into the grass. She spun around as she heard an outraged cry and barely raised her knife in time to deflect a heavy blow aimed for her. She jumped back to avoid another hit. 

The cool of battle settled over her and she allowed herself a quick second to take in her surroundings. Three of the warriors had just finished hopping the wall. Two more stood in front of her, one armed with a sword the other with an axe. She took another step back as they began moving around to opposite sides of her, intent on flanking.

“Joken natrona, em don frag op Thrud!” The man with the sword hissed, delivering another powerful blow that she barely managed to deflect.

They had no scars but this didn’t surprise Clarke. Echo commanded spies and Azgeda spies couldn’t mark their faces as the rest of Azgeda did. It’d defeat the purpose. She noticed a distinct lack of Trikru marks on their arms as they advanced on her which confirmed her suspicions. 

Fucking Echo.

Seconds later Anya was by her side, left shoulder pressed firmly against Clarke’s right as they glared at the Azgeda.

“It’s not us,” Anya said immediately, keeping her eyes trained on the axeman.

“I know,” She replied just as quickly. 

Moments later Anya let out a yell and slashed at the axeman. 

Clarke took the opportunity to do the same to the man with the sword. She slashed out towards his neck and he stepped to the side, attempting to counter her attack. She just managed to roll out of the way. When she sprung back to her feet just realized the stinging in her shoulder was a cut from his previous attack. It wasn’t deep but it would be annoying, tugging anytime she moved her arm. 

She threw the knife at his head, drawing a second knife as he spun out of the way of the first one and lunging in his direction. He jumped away once again and Clarke turned to send another attack his way.    


She didn’t get the chance though, as soon as her eyes landed on the man opposite her she saw an arrow enter his chest with a  _ thump _ . He exclaimed, falling to the ground with the force of the arrow. 

Clarke didn’t spare him a second thought, just moving to where her other knife had fallen and picked it up. She glanced at Anya who’d just finished putting her sword through the axeman’s neck.

She pulled it out with a vicious yank and turned to Clarke.

“What’re you waiting for? Let’s go,” She snapped turning towards the gates. Clarke glanced up the hill, where the arrow’d come from and saw Dax standing there, Raven next to him. She nodded at them and they returned it. He drew his axe and began charging down the hill with multiple other Trikru.

That’s when the shooting started.

She heard the panicked voices spreading from inside the walls.

“They’re attacking!”

“I knew it, those fucking SAVAGES!” 

“Shoot anyone not in Skaikru clothes! Don’t take any chances!”

She recognized the last voice as Byrne’s and cursed.

This was all part of Echo’s plan. They’d had a small group dressed as Trikru attack and now an entire convoy of them was charging.

“STOP!” She shouted to running Trikru, waving her arms frantically, “They’ll think you’re attacking, STOP!” 

Anya seemed to understand her point and waved her on.   
  
“Go Wanheda, show them the meaning of your name.” She grabbed a Trikru gona who was charging and hauled him back, “No! Stay-”   
  
Clarke didn’t hear the rest of what she was saying as she was too busy climbing the fence. She landed in a crouch and immediately threw one of her knives into the back of a man who was looming over Byrne, who’s rifle was lying on the ground several feet away. 

The man collapsed beside her and Clarke glanced around for any more threats. Seeing none, she helped her up.  
  
“Major, are you alright?”

The woman looked at her with shocked eyes and an open mouth. A silence had fallen over the entire area. Finally the older woman nodded. Civilians and guards alike stood, realization setting in. There were a solid thirty seconds of nothing before Byrne spoke up, “Is everyone alright?” Her voice rang out loudly throughout the entire area. 

Before anyone could respond though, two deafening shots of gunfire rang out.

Clarke braced for the shots. She knew they were coming. Could practically feel them coming. 

But they never did. 

Clarke opened her eyes and looked around and it was out of the corner of her eye that she saw it. She quickly turned to face Raven who stood by the gate with her sword in her hand. Relief flooded her for only a moment before she noticed two dark red spots bloom up. One on her left shoulder and the other on her arm. 

“Fuck,” She took off sprinting towards the girl, “Raven!” 

She vaguely heard Byrne shouting, telling someone to stand down. 

Clarke made it to the brunette just as she hit the ground.

She cursed and yanked a knife out of her belt, sawing off a piece of fabric from her shirt. She used it to cover the wound on her shoulder and pressing her other hand against the one on her arm.

“Raven, stay with me, talk to me, Raven,”

The girl coughed then swore with the pain that came with the harsh movements.

“Getting shot fucking sucks, Clarke,” 

“You idiot I told you to stay outside,” She snapped, looking up as Anya slid to her knees beside the two.

Anya had a look of pure horror plastered on her face.   
  
“Clarke do something,” She said, desperation clear in her voice.

“There’s only so much I can do!” She snapped in reply, pressing harder and making Raven squirm in discomfort. 

“Get out of the way!” She looked up at the sound of her mom’s voice and saw the woman shoving through the hostile crowd that had begun forming a few meters away, “Oh god,” She ran forwards and knelt down beside Clarke, taking over by holding the rag herself.

“Oh, hey Abby, long time no save my ass,” She said, the muscles in her neck and jaw tensed in a way that protested her humour. Abby didn’t respond as she cut Raven’s shirt away from the bullet hole on her shoulder.    
“Clarke, she needs proper medical attention we need to get her inside,”

“Absolutely not.” Anya said, fury in her voice, “You people are the ones that shot her!” She snarled.

“I am the only one who can help her right now!” Abby replied, frustration colouring her voice.

“You think you are the first to inflict wounds with your fayagon? Our healers are not so primitive as you may think,”

“We don’t have time for this- She doesn’t have time for this!” Abby exclaimed, gesturing at Raven with her free hand. 

Anya clenched her jaw for a moment before nodding. 

Her mother turned towards the crowd, “Jackson!” 

A man Clarke recognized as Jackson, her mother’s assistant came out with a larger man next to him.

“Pick her up,” Jackson said to the man. He bent down and slipped his arms under shoulder and in the crook of her knee, “This is gonna suck,” He said apologetically to her. 

The man lifted Raven to his full height and she let out a pained whimper as the movement jostled her imjury.

Anya let out a sound that neared an animalistic growl and took a step forwards.

Abby put a hand on her chest, “Stop, we’re going to help her.”

Anya shoved the older blonde back, prompting shouted protests from guards. Clarke registered several guns raising and training on Anya. 

Clarke took a step closer to Anya, “You need to calm down,” She muttered to the woman beside her, “The shots didn’t look fatal but these will be if you don’t stop acting like you’re about to kill them all.” 

Clarke glanced behind her and saw several Trikru standing, ready to jump to action.

“Just stay calm okay? For Raven.” She said quietly, barely above a whisper.

“They’re the ones who shot her,” Anya ground out, clenching her fist.

“And right now they’re the ones who’re going to help her. Go get Lexa. She needs to be here right now.”

Anya looked as though she was going to resist the order but nodded. 

“Fine,” She turned on her heel and stormed off. 

Clarke was left alone other than the few trikru standing behind her. Half of Skaikru’s guns pointed on her. 

What a fucking mess she had gotten herself into.

Maybe Echo was right.

Maybe it was time to return to her prime objective.   
  
  


__________

Translations

 

Joken natrona, em don frag op Thrud! = Fucking traitor, she killed Thrud!  
  
(Let me know if I missed any translations I'm exhausted.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so thats that dickheads
> 
> im kidding please don't leave validation is the only reason i keep writing, gimme reviews


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> peep the new writing style i'm messing around with and lmk if yall like it
> 
> also happy late bday to tabi my bad this took so long to get out my dude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i aint gon freak it

Really, Lexa thought, it wasn’t fair. Every time she was actually sleeping well -finally having a night that  _ wasn’t _ plagued by nightmares or voices of past commanders arguing like children- she was woken. Whether it be to resolve some petty argument, calm a worried ambassador or, like in this case, to stop war from breaking out. 

She’d just finished strapping her pauldron to her shoulder as she rushed to the camp in front of her. Gustus walked at her side when Anya rushed out, a sword in her hands and blood covering her.

Lexa’s heart had kicked in to triple time (already being in double time because of all the shouting and gunfire and well- who could forget the impending doom) at the sight of her former mentor covered in blood. She rushed to the other woman and grabbed her.

“Anya? Are you-“

The woman waved her off with a heart wrenching expression and a clenched jaw.

“It’s not my blood,” She rubbed tiredly at her forehead with the hand that didn’t have a sword in it.

“Then why do you look so pained?”

“Raven has been injured.”

“The imposters? Gustus told me of gonas in Trikru clothes without our marks-“

“Not the imposters, Heda. Skaikru.” Was all she said, nodding towards the looming structure before them. Lexa’s own jaw clenched then. She inhaled sharply. 

“I have allowed them too many trespasses. This will not go unpunished, Anya. I promise you that. Jus drein jus daun,” Lexa said, her tone final.

“Jus drein jus daun,” Anya repeated, her eyes deadly in that moment. Gustus repeated the sentiment and the three of them set off towards the Ark and the angry voices rising from the area.

A group of gona stood about 15 feet from the shoddily crafted wall. Some in armour others still in sleep clothes. All looking shaken up. 

The angry voices from the ark grew louder. She heard someone shout something along the lines of “shoot her!” the rest was lost to the slew of voices. Dax rushed up to her, axe in hand and worry painted on his face. 

“Heda,” he said quickly, “Wanheda she’s-“

“Stay here,” She said, cutting the rest of his words off and continuing with renewed urgency.

 

__________

  
  


Clarke held her hands before her in the universal  _ “hey, maybe please don’t shoot me, please.” _ gesture.

The guards across from here, apparently did not get the message because their guns did not budge from where they were trained on her.

Despite the fact that one of their jobs was “ _ keeping the peace” _ when the civilians around them began talking angrily, they made no move to calm them. None of the words made themselves known to her though. The general message communicated itself though. They were fucking furious.

Clarke knew that at least four were dead. Two being guards outside and two being dead civilians whose bodies she saw on the ground.

Finally, a voice raised above the fray.

“You said we could trust them!”

Clarke’s gaze shot instantly to the sound of the voice. If she recognized them she could try and calm them down. But she didn’t. He was just a voice in the crowd.

“I don’t know why we trusted her!” Another voice from on the other side of the angry pack called, “She’s just as much a savage as any of them! Look at her face!”

“Skaikru please-“ She began, a quiet desperation entering her voice.

“Shut up! We ain’t your fucking skaikru stop talking to us like we’re like you!” 

The mob voice surged in agreement with that, shouting things in accordance.

Clarke knew firsthand from her time along the border with hungry and scared villagers that an angry mob mentality was scary.

She’d take a pack of wolves over an angry mob with a common enemy.

She threw a pleading look at Byrne. She hoped her look properly conveyed  _ “I just saved your life do me a solid.”  _ But the woman didn’t move to her aid. She just kept her gun trained on Clarke. 

Ungrateful fuck.

Someone in the crowd shouted,

“What’re you waiting for! Shoot her! They killed my fucking wife! They’re going to attack again!”

This seemed to garner the largest response, the entire crowd moved forwards like a wave. Clarke stepped back quickly.

“Wait- you don’t understand-“ Clarke didn’t get to finish her well crafted coherent begging because a rock decided her face was the perfect place for it to hang out.

As she hit the ground she let out a pained, “fuck,” and stumbled back. Her feet felt like they were tied together and she found herself on the floor. Despite the ringing in her ears she heard the roar of approval that came from the crowd at that show of violence.

Clarke sat up and her vision finally cleared in time for her to see someone tackle her back into the ground. Her head hit the ground with a solid  _ thud _ . The fist that hit her face also let out a solid thud. This definitely was not how she hoped this was going to go.

She barely had the thought to bring her arms up in a half hearted attempt to cover her face. 

But suddenly there wasn’t the weight of a middle aged man on her chest. There weren’t any more fists trying to damage her poor head anymore than it was damaged. She opened the eye that wasn’t swollen shut and saw the man that’d been on her a few feet in front of her lying on his back. He was clutching his face and groaning. 

Clarke was confused. Had she gained telepathy? No that was the one where you could read minds. Telekinesis? 

Oh god she really did hit her head hard. 

A much more logical explanation presented itself as Lexa stepped over her, sword in hand.

“STAND DOWN SKAIKRU!” She roared, her voice carrying above the angry crowd as it always managed to do. 

But it didn’t work as it had in the negotiations room earlier. If anything, the command made the crowd angrier. 

Clarke faintly heard Gustus urging the Commander to leave. Trying to calm an enraged mob was like trying to stop water from flowing. It would only stop when things leveled out. 

Clarke opened her mouth to agree and give Lexa her poetic advice about water but only a pained groan exited. That was new. She usually had pretty solid control of her mouth.

The noise momentarily drew Lexa’s attention. She looked down at Clarke with worry. She nodded sharply, sheathed her sword and moved out of Clarke’s line of sight. Briefly, she wondered if Lexa would leave her to the mercy of the angry mob. The thought disappeared as gentle arms snaked under her own and lifted her in a fireman’s carry. The movement made her head throb. She looked up and saw Lexa’s face. 

The last thought she had was that Lexa looked beautiful in the moonlight. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, the throbbing in her head overtook her and her eyes rolled into her head.

 

__________

  
  


_ Clarke hated marching. _

_ Fortunately, she’d risen to captain of her outpost when her Fos -coincidentally the last captain of the outpost- had died.  _

_ Unfortunately, her Fos had died in the last stand defending said outpost against the plain riders. An outpost that was either pillaged or inhabited by the filthy horse fuckers. _

_ So now they marched. _

_ Azgeda in the winter didn’t make for good marching conditions. _

_ The trails this close to the border were unused by villagers due to the war and supply caravans that went out to Azgeda outposts stuck to the main roads to avoid bandits. _

_ Had Clarke or any of her soldiers been regulars on supply caravans they would have known this. Had they know this they would not have taken a small forest road and been robbed of all their supplies and weapons while they slept.  _

_ The two on watch dead. The seven remaining starving. The only weapons remaining between them were; Clarke’s dagger, a bow without a string and two full swords that even the bandits didn’t want.  _

_ Pesky bandits. _

_ Still, they continued. _

_ Echo trudged up alongside her where she marched in the front. _

_ “Hei,” she murmured. Echo returned the sentiment. _

_ “We should be coming up on Warsaw soon enough, Klark.” _

_ “You said that when the sun still had two hands bellow it. Now there is no sun and I can’t feel my toes.” _

_ “It isn’t my fault you brought us on a path I rarely use! I’d nearly forgotten it existed.” _

_ “You’re the one who told me it would be faster! That’s the whole fucking reason we’re on this trail.” _

_“And I also told you there would be higher risk of bandits. But no,” She adopted a mocking tone, mimicking Clarke, “_ we’re trained soldiers Echo, I think we can handle a few bandits Echo,” _She_ _sent_ _Clarke_ _a_ _scathing look, “I suppose you did not consider we can not handle a few bandits if we’re sleeping, huh?” She rapped on Clarke’s head as if knocking on a door and Clarke shoved at her arm, pushing the girl’s limb away. It was harder than she meant but she was hardly in a cheerful mood._

_ Two dead and they’d been under her care for less that seven days.  _

_ Echo must have sensed her mood fouling. _

_ “Moba, Klark, I know you’re doing your best. We all do. We will arrive on the village soon enough, sha?” _

_ Clarke sent the girl an appreciative smile. It was strained but it was there. _

_ True to her word, they arrive upon the village by the time the moon had risen two more hands. _

_ It was the middle of the night so she wasn’t expecting a welcome party, just somewhere where they could safely set up camp until further notice. _

_ What she definitely wasn’t expecting were the two spears leveled at her chest as she marched up to the first few buildings along the horse packed road. _

_ "Nous som gona kom Kwin Nia en em gai gothru klir,” Her Trigedasleng wasn’t great, she knew it was clear to the two in front of her that it wasn’t her native language. The duo eyed her and her soldiers warily. _

_ “We do not have the supplies to feed eight more,” The woman on the right replied, her english thick with an accent. _

_ Clarke furrowed her brow but nodded in acceptance. _

_ “We will hunt tomorrow and feed ourselves. We just need a place to stay, please.” _

_ The two women at the gate looked at each other nervously before the rightmost one nodded and turned back to Clarke.  _

_ “Fine, follow me.” _

 

__________

  
  


Clarke woke to a damp cold being pressed to her head. 

The feeling of cold was immediately overpowered by the awareness of her throbbing head.

“Fuck me,” She grumbled, peeking her eyes open slightly. 

She winced at the light in the room -seeing as how the only light in the room was some candles that wasn’t a good sign- and looked around.

Dax sat in a chair next to the cot she was on, watching her.

A grim smile appeared on his face, “She wakes, thought you’d gone and decided to die for a second,” His smile faltered as the joke fell through and he looked away.

Gallows humour is apparently only funny when you aren’t on your way to the gallows.

“Me? Dying? Come on you know me better than that. I’m too stubborn.” She tried for a smile after but could only manage a grimace. The swelling in her face made it hard for her to move her cheeks.

He laughed, a shallow fake sound.

“Is everyone alright?” She asked, her voice wavering more than she liked.

Dax understood immediately, nodding.

“Octavia, Monty and Nate are helping on guard. The Commander thinks they’re less likely to be shot than Trikru gona. Harper is sleeping. She’s been helping Lincoln with you.”

Clarke nodded, taking the information in.

“How long was I out?” She asked. The pounding in her head made it hard to concentrate. 

“Six hours maybe? Sun should be coming up soon.” He looked around the tent and shrugged.

She watched him as he yawned and dragged a hand across his face tiredly.

“Have you slept?” She asked, her voice softening in way she hated.

He shrugged again, “Nah, been keeping an eye on you.” He said it so casually. As if it weren’t a big thing that he stayed up all night after a fight just to stay with Clarke.

“Dax-” She said, struggling to come up with words.

“Don’t worry about it,” He said, a smirk playing at his lips, “Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t go and conk out and it definitely isn’t gonna be you, so…” He shrugged, “Anyways, The Commander said she wanted to speak with you when you woke up so I should go get her.” He rose to his feet and grabbed his axe from where it was leaned against a table.

“Her Dax?” She said, drawing his attention to her, “Who’s tent am I in?”

“Heda’s. We don’t have any medical tents because this was supposed to be an ambassadorial meeting and your tent is small as fuck. Lincoln couldn’t work in there.”

She nodded, looking around the tent with a new light. Normally she just saw the main area. The war table and her temporary throne. Now she was in the back area. If she looked behind Dax she could see the cot that Lexa no doubt slept in. 

Being here, seeing it all felt intrusive.

“Cool,” She muttered, not feeling cool at all. He hummed and turned to leave, “Dax?” She said, again, once more catching his attention. He nodded to show his attention and she gave him the best smile she could with half her face feeling like bee’s decided to make her a pincushion, “Get some sleep.”

He gave her a lopsided smile and a two finger salute, “You got it, Clarke.”

With that he left and Clarke was left alone with her thoughts and the pounding in her skull. 

As she waited for Lexa, her mind drifted back to the dream she’d been having. But it was more of a memory. 

At first she’d been confused as to why the town’s militia was so cold towards them. But after spending a few days it began to make sense. 

The incident that had really made Clarke realize was when a little girl had run into her. 

_ The girl must’ve been around 10 years old and when she sprawled to the ground after running into Clarke her entire face contorted in fear.  _

_ Clarke crouched down in front of the girl. _

_ “Sou yu ogud?” She asked, making her voice as gentle as possible. _

_ The girl stammered over trigedasleng words too quick for Clarke to catch as tears welled in her eyes. _

_ A woman who must’ve been the girl’s mother swooped in and picked the girl up into her arms. _

_ “Bosh Moba, Kaiptan, em laik ponk goufa,” Her eyes were full of fear, “Ai teik in ga em,”  _

_ Clarke took a few moments to process the words and make sense of the foreign language in her head.  _

_ “Moba, ai trigedasleng sou de,” She paused, “ba’m ha dom yu fir ga em?” _

_ “I have seen Azgona from the capital take the tongue of goufa for speaking loudly, Kaiptan,” She said, her english broken, “Yu sou kom Parlimant, nou?” She asked, referring to the capital of Azgeda. Clarke’s brow furrowed. _

_ “Sha,” She murmured, “There will be no punishment for this. If any of my gona attempt to punish one of you unjustly, come to me. This will not stand in my ranks. Understood?” The woman gave her a wary look before nodding. _

_ “Sha, Kaiptan” _

Later that night the woman came to her, her head down and her hands wrung as she whispered quickly of a drunken soldier slapping a serving-boy about.

Clarke had personally given Manitob five lashes after she saw him deliver a closed fist to the back of the boy’s head in a drunken fit. 

The villagers were much more open after that. Clarke even went hunting with some of the militia members after. It’d been nice to get to know the children of the village and share stories with some of the veterans. 

Then again, it’d made it harder when after a few weeks a group of 25 Ingrangona came through while Clarke, most of her gona and three members of the militia were out hunting and killed everyone. They came back from a two day hunting expedition to the charred husk of a town and bodies everywhere.

Clarke had seen death before, she was a soldier in a war after all. But she’d never seen someone collapse next to a body that was too small, too new, to be a casualty and let out a sob so heart wrenching that she had to look away-

A cough drew her attention. She quickly looked away from the flame she’d been staring into as she thought and towards the source of noise.

It was a movement she regretted instantly because of all the agony that accompanied it as concussions typically do.

“Are you alright, Clarke?” Lexa asked, her face set in a worried expression as she seemed stuck between not moving and rushing forwards.

The blonde waved the concern away.

“I’m good,” She mumbled, moving her hand away from her face, “Totally solid.”

“You look as though you fought with a pauna,” Lexa said, a smirk playing at her lips.

Clarke let out a breathless laugh, more of a surprised gasp than anything.

“Was that a joke?” She asked, slightly bewildered, “Nope, you know what? I don't care. Any conversation about pauna is too soon.” 

Lexa hummed and nodded, grabbing a chair from across the room and bringing it over.

Clarke struggled to sit up but she managed. When she looked up she saw Lexa watching her.

She looked young without her warpaint on and braids out of her hair. Young and tired. 

She was nothing like the woman Clarke had been envisioning since she first heard about her when she arrived at her first outpost. She’d been described as an unfair with, a girl so woefully undeserving of her position due to her unfair rule and lack of experience. But Clarke had seen otherwise. 

She lead better than most leaders Clarke had seen. She was fair and loyal to those she trusted and Clarke’s heart felt heavy when she thought of her orders. 

This was why she didn’t like spending time with her targets. 

It would be Costia all over again. 

She blinked and looked away at the thought, guilt taking over her mind as it always did when she thought of Costia.

“What happened to Raven was not your fault, Clarke,” Lexa said, trying to comfort for all the wrongs reasons and making Clarke feel ten times worse.

Clarke nodded despite that, “Yeah,” she mumbled. She looked up then, “Do we have any news on her?” She asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

Lexa shook her head.

“No news from the Ark at all. Radio silence as Raven would say.” The woman clenched her jaw and looked away, “I fear that with all that happened she will be taken hostage after she is recovered.”

Clarke opened her mouth but closed it, unsure how to respond. She didn’t know how to handle this Commander. The one who made a joke about that stupid pauna and told her what she was  _ scared _ of. Even admitting to fear at all was so unlike what Clarke knew. 

“My mother will-”

“Your mother is only one person and her voice will be trumped by the angry and grieving. It will be trumped by those who wish to use the angry and grieving to further their agenda.” Clarke thought of Byrne and grimaced.

“We have the hundred,” Clarke said with a shrug, “If they ever want to see their children again they won’t hurt her. They know that.” Lexa nodded and there was silence again, “Do you think we should’ve given her to them to help?”

The woman looked up, giving her a thoughtful look, “I think… You and Anya did all that you could’ve done in that situation. There was a lot of blood and we do not have Naiko with us. It might not’ve been the right choice- but it was the best one.” 

Clarke inhaled sharply and looked away, nodding absently. 

“We either need to return to TonDC or garner more troops. This situation has escalated from tense to a possible war.” Lexa said after a few moments of silence and Clarke look up again.

“You’re the Commander, you make the choices.” Clarke said, shrugging despite the voices yelling at her in her head.

Lexa nodded carefully, “I am, yes.” She went quiet as though choosing her words, “I have meditated on the topic and the past Commanders tell me to call upon my armies and raze the crashed ship to the ground and all those who live in it.” Clarke swallowed hard at the words but Lexa held a hand up, “However, had I listened to what they said when Raven landed I would not have her as my trusted advisor or friend. Had I listened to them instead of you when the 100 landed I would’ve had an immediate war when the Ark landed instead of a chance for peace. So I ask you now. Not as Clarke or as Wanheda, but as a soldier who was a captain of an outpost and multiple soldiers. What do you advise?” Lexa had a careful look in her eyes, as though she wasn’t quite sure of her own decision to ask Clarke for the advice.

Clarke went quiet as she thought. 

“At this point, I don’t think an alliance will be an option. They’ll need to join the coalition as the 13th clan. They won’t respond to as backing away.” She paused, considering her words, “I know the men and women of the council- or at least I did- they’ll respond to strength. If I were you, I would bring more warriors. Strongarming them into surrender as you did with Azgeda and Ouskejon may be your best option.”

Lexa took the words in, listening intently to Clarke. 

“Thank you Clarke.” Clarke gave her a small smile and nodded.

“Of course, Heda.”

“One final thing Clarke -and your answer to this will determine whether you leave this tent alive or not,” Clarke’s blood ran cold, “How did you know the attack was going to happen four hours before it did?”   
  


 

  
  
TRANSLATIONS  
  
Jus drein jus daun = Blood must have blood  
Nous som gona kom Kwin Nia en em gai gothru klir, = We are soldiers of Queen NIa and we request safe passage,  
Sou yu ogud? = Are you okay?  
Bosh Moba, Kaiptan, em laik ponk goufa = I'm so sorry, Captain, she's a silly child  
Ai teik in ga em = I will take her punishment for her  
Moba, ai trigedasleng sou de = Sorry, my trigedasleng is bad  
ba’m ha dom yu fir ga em? = But why do you fear for her?  
Yu sou kom Parlimant, nou? = You are from Parlimant, no?  
Parlimant = Azgeda's Capital city. Queen Nia's home.   
Sha Kaiptan = Yes Captain  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i freaked it


End file.
